Gift of Fate
by luminare91
Summary: HIATUS! Oliver has been missing since his boat was lost in a storm, two years before and Chloe is still grieving. What will it take for her to move on? What happened to Oliver? Will he ever be back? And what about the mysterious disappearances?
1. Prologue

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

* * *

><p>Prologue<p>

_Warm arms encircled her waist and pulled her back until her back was tight against a hard chest. She tensed just slightly in surprise then relaxed, her hand automatically falling to rest against the much larger hands that were clasped over her stomach. She tilted her head to the side to give access to the crook of her neck. Warm breath graced her skin, sending a shiver down her spine._

_"Hey," she whispered._

_"Hello," a low, warm male voice answered. The hair on her arms rose._

_Tears pricked at her eyes. "I miss you."_

_The man drew back, his lips no longer brushing against her shoulder, and tightened his arms around, drawing her more firmly against him. "I know. I'm sorry. I miss you too."_

_"When are you coming back?" she asked. "Are you ever coming back?"_

_"I...I don't know," the man sighed. "I think I'm lost. I don't know where I am or how to get back to you. I think...I think you have to find me. You're the only who can."_

_"I don't know how. I don't even know where to look," she said, sounding panicked._

_"Look in here." His hand rose to rest against her heart. "I'm always in here. Let it guide you."_

_The woman bit back a sob. "I don't know if I can. It's been so long. I want you so badly. I want you to be here for everything. So much has happened since you left and I can't even tell you about it. I don't know if I can find you."_

_"Yes, you can," he whispered. "I know we're not together physically, but I'll always be here for you. Tell me whatever you want. I'll listen."_

_"It's not the same," she cried, tears falling down her cheeks._

_"It's the best we have," he whispered, pulling her tight. "And if anyone can find me, it's you. You are the only one who knows me well enough to find me, no matter where I am."_

_She pulled away, walking a few steps away. "You can't know that. You can't depend on me like that. I've lost so many people and none of them came back for me. My own mother left and I couldn't bring her back. How can I do that for you?"_

_"Because I'm not the others in your life," he said firmly, closing the distance between them again. He gently rested his hands on her shoulders. "You saved me once before, and you didn't even know you did it. You can save me now."_

_"How?" she wept, the single word containing more pain than the man thought possible. His heart constricted and he drew her back into his arms. She buried her face against his chest. "How?" she repeated as she sobbed against his shirt._

_"By surviving," he whispered in her ear. "Make it through the day and then get up and do it again. Keep going, no matter how hard it is. As long as you are somewhere, as long as you are going through your life, I will survive too. You are my life line, the one thing anchoring me to existence. As long as you don't give up, I still have hope. I still have a chance. Can you do that for me? Can you survive?"_

_The woman nodded. "I'll try."_

_"That's all I can ask," he whispered. "I promised I will come back to you."_

_"If you can't, can I come to you?" she asked in a small voice._

_The man shook his head. "I don't think so," he said slowly. "I don't think you'd like it here. It's not exactly pleasant. As much I was want to...no need to be with you, I can't put you through this with me."_

_"Okay," she murmured._

_"Don't worry. I will come back. I promise." His voice was filled with confidence, but the woman shook her head, her grip on his waist tightening._

_"That's what you said before all of this happened," she spat, her tears falling anew. "You've been gone for years."_

_"Do you think that's my choice?" he demanded. "You have no idea how much I miss you. I dream about you every night, about talking to you, about touching you, holding you, hearing your voice, feeling your lips on me. I want so much to be with you. But I can't."_

_"Why not?"_

_"I don't know," he moaned helplessly. "I don't know and I wish to god I did, because then I would know how to get back to you. But I don't. I'm doing everything I can. Please. Please, believe me."_

_The woman sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you'd be here if you could. I just miss you so much."_

_"It's all right. Trust me, I know how hard this had been. But I'm begging you, please don't give up on us. I don't know what I'll do if you give up."_

_"I won't," she promised._

_The man suddenly stiffened._

_"What's wrong she asked."_

_"I have to go," he murmured, almost inaudibly. "I'm sorry. I wish I could stay. I promise, I'll find a way back to you eventually. Just don't stop hoping. I need you to keep believing in me. If I can do that, I'll be back."_

_She shook her head. "No. No. You can't leave me again. Stay, please. Just stay."_

_"I can't. I'm sorry" Anguish twisted his face as he broke free of her grasp and began walking away._

_"Wait!" she yelled. "Please! Don't go! I need you! I love you! OLIVER!"_

_He didn't stop and he didn't look back._

* * *

><p>Chloe Sullivan woke up, covered in cold sweat. Her chest was heaving as she panted for breath. Tears were falling down her cheeks, thick and fast. Curling onto her side, Chloe clutched her knees to her chest and sobbed.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: So I know this is short, but it's just a taste of what's to come. Let me know what you think and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. But let it be known, I will hold the next chapter hostage if I nobody comments :P<em>


	2. Chapter 1

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the prologue. I am honestly a little stunned as to how well it was received. That was a major confidence booster. Thank you so, so much._

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

_"I never should have let Lois talk me into this," she grumbled under her breath, swirling her water in her glass._

_The dim lighting and soft music of the restaurant created a decidedly romantic atmosphere that was completely at odds with the way Chloe felt at the moment. It had been almost a year and a half since Oliver's boat had been lost in a storm. Several of the board members had been found, clinging to drift wood, but Oliver hadn't been among them. For the past six months, ever since her graduation from high school, Lois had been trying to convince Chloe to go out. Her cousin argued that Oliver wouldn't want her to put her life on hold because he was dead. And while Chloe didn't exactly find anything wrong with that argument, she just wasn't ready._

_Yet here she was, sitting in the hot new restaurant, the Ace of Clubs, in the non-alcoholic section since she was just nineteen, waiting for Jimmy Olsen, her date of the evening. He was a sweet guy. A photographer for the Daily Planet, he was about as normal as they come and honestly his bow-ties and sweater vests were endearing in a nerdy way. Though she'd been slow on the uptake, Chloe could see that he was completely head over heels for her. Lois had been kind enough to point that out to her. So when Chloe had finally decided to go out, to get back on the bandwagon as it were, she'd asked Jimmy if he wanted to go out to dinner with her. He seemed harmless enough._

_She was seriously regretting that decision. She'd only been there for ten minutes, Jimmy hadn't arrived, and he wasn't even late, but she already felt guilty, as though by simply being there she was betraying Oliver. Chloe rubbed her neck tiredly._

_The sound of a chair being pulled across the floor jolted Chloe out of her thoughts. Jimmy grinned down at her, oblivious to what was going through her mind._

_"Hey, Bright-eyes."_

_She had to force herself not to cringe at the moniker. Under any other circumstances she would have considered it cute, but considering she was definitely still hung up on Oliver, it was just annoying._

_"Hey Jimmy," she said, smiling demurely._

_"Have you ever been here before?" he asked, looking around almost nervously._

_Chloe shook her head. "No. But my cousin says it's good."_

_Flashing her another nervous smile, Jimmy turned to the menu._

_Later that night, Chloe leaned against the door of her apartment. That had been the worst date of her life, including the jock who'd tried to suck the heat out of her body. She'd spent the entire time wishing that it was Oliver sitting her, that the shy smiles Jimmy was giving her were the more flirtatious smiles Oliver had always dazzled her with. After living in Smallville and being best friends to Clark Kent, Jimmy was almost too normal for her._

_Wiping the tears from her face, she walked into her bedroom and collapsed on the mattress, for once actually welcoming the dreams that would bring Oliver back into her life._

* * *

><p>That had been the first and last date. Chloe had given him the excuse that she had some things going on and that she'd thought she was ready, but she wasn't. Jimmy had taken it well and had promised to give her a little space.<p>

After that, her dreams had changed, becoming more like the ones she'd had the night before. As heartbreaking as they were, the dreams had actually made Chloe feel as though she was closer to Oliver, like he was still in her life. She was willing to miss a little sleep over that.

She suppressed a yawn and flipped through the acceptance letters she received. She'd decided to take a year off of school to deal with every thing. But it was time to get her life back on track. As much as she missed Oliver and she was sure she still loved him, Chloe knew that it was time to move on.

Her vision blurred slightly, exhaustion threatening to overcome her. Chloe groaned and dropped the papers on her desk. As she turned back to the computer, her eyes fell on the sole picture on her desk. It had been taken at Crater Lake. Lois had dragged Chloe, Oliver, and Clark down to the beach as soon as the weather was warm enough. Being from California, Oliver had opted not to get in the water. Chloe had kept him company. They'd been laying on a blanket, talking quietly, when Lois snapped a picture of them. For a candid shot, it was actually wonderful. Oliver was looking down at her with an adoring expression, his eyes twinkling and a small smile on his lips. She was looking up at him smiling as well. Their fingers were entwined and rested on his chest.

It was Chloe's favorite picture, a memento of a happier time.

Sighing, she tore her gaze away from the image, back to her computer and to the article she was supposed to be writing, but her mind drifted back to the year before.

She'd been getting ready for bed, waiting for a call from Ollie. It had been a few days since the last time he'd called. Despite his promise to call every day, business had kept him from keeping in touch several times. When her phone rang as she turned out the light, Chloe had seized it off the dresser without even looking at the caller ID.

It hadn't been Oliver. It had been the coast guard. They'd received an emergency signal from Oliver's ship when a fierce storm had cropped up out of nowhere. It had been lost soon after and while rescue workers had been dispatched immediately, Oliver had never been found.

The next few months had been horrible. At first, she'd been out of her mind with worry, doing everything she could to help with the search. Clark had run across the ocean and back at least two dozen times searching for Oliver and she'd called in help from Bart Allen, the speedster who'd passed through Smallville just before Oliver had moved to town. They'd both come up empty. So Chloe had taken to hacking every database she could, hoping that Oliver had turned up on one of the nearby island nations and that there would be some record of him. But she'd hit a brick wall.

That was when it had really hit her that Oliver was gone. And though she'd refused to fully give up hope, she knew it was pretty much pointless. She'd sunk into depression, throwing herself into the various meteor freaks she and Clark were working to take down. She stopped hanging out with anyone outside of class. Lois and Clark had gotten worried.

In the end, her dad had been the one to force her out of her depression. Gabe Sullivan had been oblivious to his daughter's social life, mostly because he was never home. To Chloe's supreme misfortune, her father had happened to answer the phone when George Masters called to offer Chloe his condolences and support. Apparently Oliver had talked about her so much when he was in Star City and she had so impressed him at the meeting three years before when she'd defended Oliver's honor, that Mr. Masters wanted to extend an offer to help her in any way he could. Gabe Sullivan hadn't taken the news that his daughter had been dating the billionaire playboy heir to Queen Industries well.

Gabe Sullivan had ended the call and stormed into Chloe's room, where she was crying on her bed. It was the day that Oliver had been officially declared dead. She was completely heartbroken and lost. Ignoring that fact that his daughter's boyfriend was missing and officially dead, Mr. Sullivan came charging in, yelling at the top of his lungs, reading her the proverbial riot act. The shouting had been enough to snap Chloe out of her stupor and she'd began yelling back. In the end, Chloe had walked out and the Kents had given her a place to stay until she moved to Metropolis for work.

Pulling her thoughts back to the present and the Daily Planet, Chloe attempted to focus on her story. Despite her stellar skills as an investigative reporter, she was stuck writing obits since she had no college degree and would have to work her way up from the bottom. It was partly because she was channeling most of her energy into helping Clark and some of the people they'd met who'd decided to follow in his footsteps. She got a real sense of pride and accomplishment, of rightness, helping take down evil meteor freaks. It also helped her stay connected to Oliver. He'd always gotten a rush out of helping people.

A shadow fell over her desk. She looked up and found Clark standing beside her. He smiled and handed her a cup of coffee.

"You are a god," she moaned, seizing the cup and taking a long gulp.

He smiled gently and pulled over a chair. "You okay?" he asked without preamble.

Chloe shrugged. "I'm dealing. It's two years ago today that I said goodbye to him."

Heart aching for the pain he knew his friend was feeling, Clark put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer. "Maybe you should go home, Chlo. You shouldn't be at work today."

"I don't want to be alone with my thoughts," she admitted.

Clark nodded, completely understanding. When his dad died of a heart attack, several months previously, he'd done everything he could not to think and not to feel. He could only imagine what things were like for Chloe. She'd never even really gotten an answer to the question of what had happened to Oliver.

"Was there something you needed?" she asked, breaking through his thoughts.

He shook his head. "No. I just wanted to check on you."

A sad smile tugged weakly at Chloe's lips. "Thanks, Clark. But I'm all right, all things considered. I'll see you later, okay? I really just need to work."

"I'll stop by after my patrol," he promised.

The smile grew. "No you won't. You'll go spend time with Lois."

"She'll understand," Clark protested. "You shouldn't be alone."

"Do it for me," Chloe murmured. "Be with her while you can, huh?"

The pain in her eyes almost killed him. But he nodded and stood, pressing a friendly kiss to her forehead. "Call me if need anything, Chlo. I'll be there anytime."

"Will do. Now get out of here. Metropolis needs it's great hero." She turned back to her computer.

Realized that he was being dismissed, Clark sped out of the newsroom, only to stop in the shadows where no one would notice him and just looked at Chloe. She'd lost weight over the past two years. She was paler and there were circles under her eyes, as though she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in months. She barely went out unless she was going to work or following a lead or helping him take down a meteor freak. The only people she regularly associated with were Clark, Lois, and Mrs. Kent. Clark knew that losing Oliver had been hard on her and he hated seeing her like that. But he knew there was nothing he could do except wait and let her deal in her own way.

The sound of sirens caught his attention. His hand automatically reached for the collar of his shirt. With a sigh and one final look at Chloe, Clark sped away.

Across the room, Chloe was typing mechanically, finishing an obit for someone named Todd Greenly. He'd apparently died of natural causes after a long life. But she wouldn't have been able to tell anyone that. Chloe wasn't really paying attention to what she was doing.

"Hey bright-eyes."

Chloe suppressed a groan before painting a weak smile onto her face and turning in her chair to see Jimmy Olsen grinning nervously at her. He was wearing his perpetual sweater vest and bow tie. He was fiddling nervously with his camera.

"Hey, Jimmy," he said softly, keeping her voice even.

He fumbled with his camera again. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me this Friday. We had a lot of fun a couple of months ago."

"Jimmy," Chloe sighed. "I'm sorry I...I can't. I think we're better off as friends."

"Why?" he protested. "I thought we had a lot of chemistry and I thought we had fun."

"I just can't do it."

"Why not? You're the one that asked me out in the first place."

"And it was a colossal mistake," Chloe groaned. "I thought I was ready to get back out there, but I'm not. I'm not even close to being ready. I should never have asked you out. It was wrong of me to lead you on like that. I thought I was ready."

"I don't get it," Jimmy muttered angrily. "I really thought you liked me."

"And I do," she said miserably. "But not like that. I shouldn't have done anything to make you think otherwise."

"What changed? Why is idea of dating me suddenly so repulsive?"

Groaning, Chloe grabbed Jimmy's arm and dragged him to the copy room. She was not about to have that conversation in the bull pen where everyone could overhear her.

"What are you doing?" Jimmy demanded, wrenching his arm free.

Chloe closed the door and locked it before pulling down all the shades. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Jimmy who was glaring at her.

"Listen to me," she hissed, "I'm not interested, Jimmy."

"I thought you were," he mumbled.

"Well I'm sorry," she sighed. "I didn't mean to lead you on. My cousin pretty much forced me to go out and I managed to convince myself that I was ready when I wasn't."

"Why did you chose to go out with me?"

"You're a nice guy, Jimmy. I thought you were the kind of person I needed. I thought that if I was going to placate my cousin and my own conscience that I might as well hang out with someone I could possibly have a decent conversation with. I didn't expect things to go much further."

"Chloe, you were flirting with me!"

She almost groaned. She had been flirting a little, trying to salvage the evening. She hadn't really meant any of it, but of course he didn't know that.

"No I wasn't!" she snapped. "I was trying to be pleasant."

"You were hardcore flirting with me," Jimmy said stubbornly.

"Well, it wasn't on purpose!" Chloe retorted, even if if really kinda had been. "I'm honestly not interested and I need you to back off because I'm not ready either."

"Can you at least tell me why?"

Chloe sighed and ran a hand through her hair, feeling slightly guilty for losing her temper. She was on a short fuse, had been for two years, especially when it came to any subject that might even tangentially concern Oliver. For the briefest minute, she entertained the idea of telling Jimmy everything, but then she pushed the thought away. She and Oliver had kept their relationship a secret from anyone outside of Smallville for a reason, so that they could have their privacy. He'd given up a lot so they could do that. She wasn't going to disrespect that.

"It's none of your business," she said flatly. "All you need to know is that I'm not ready ."

"We haven't even tried," he protested.

"Look," she hissed, deciding to give him a few of the details. "I was dating a guy who went missing. He's been gone for a long time and I thought I was getting over and while it may not hurt as much, I'm not ready and I need you to drop it."

Jimmy's jaw tensed. "Fine. I'll just go."

Chloe watched as he stormed out of the copy room. She felt horrible. Jimmy really was a nice guy. He was as sweet as they come. And completely innocent and naive. She could see the way that he looked at her, almost the way Oliver used to. That was the problem. In any other life, Chloe would have been happy with Jimmy. But after she met Oliver, she knew there was someone out there who was willing to be with her despite the crazy things that happened in her life. Jimmy would never be able to deal with meteor freaks or aliens, not the way Oliver had. Jimmy would never be able to stand beside her and fight the freaks that wanted to kill her. Not the way Oliver had.

It was official. Oliver had ruined her for other guys. Now that she'd met him, she doubted she would meet anyone that would ever have a chance of measuring up.

Chloe allowed herself to sink to the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. Tremors wracked her body for several moments before she managed to regain control of her emotions. The pain might have been dulling, but it was always there and she didn't think it would ever go away.

Wiping away the few tears that had escaped down her cheeks, Chloe stood and walked back into the newsroom. She had work to do. Oliver wouldn't want her to lose her dream job because she was pining over him. In fact she had a feeling that if he knew, he'd chew her out. Some days, that knowledge was all that kept her going.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: For the record, I know nothing about sailing or weather, or anything else that has to do with a boat wrecking in a storm and people surviving it. I have no idea if there is such a thing as an emergency beacon or signal that you can use to call the coast guard or even if that is who you would call. I'm just making it work for the story.<em>


	3. Chapter 2

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: I posted the wrong version of this the other day. This is the correct version. The changes are minor. Sorry for the confusion. _

_I mentioned this in a couple of comments on the last chapter, but I just wanted to clarify. I'm not portraying Jimmy as the villain. He's just confused about what happened between him and Chloe and couldn't quite get past that in the moment. _

_For the moment, I'm linking this to my LJ so that everyone can read it since LJ is being stupid. _

Chapter 2

Chloe left the planet late that night. She often worked well into the night. If she was exhausted when she finally fell into bed, she was less likely to have nightmares or stay up thinking about Oliver. When she was exhausted she actually slept through the night.

Her apartment was only a few blocks away. When her dad found out that she and Oliver were together, things had gotten ugly.

* * *

><p>(Story Break)<p>

Chloe was curled up on the bed, her knees hugged to her chest, tears coursing down her cheeks. She'd been surfing the web when she came across the official statement from Queen Industries that Oliver had been declared dead. It was official. The search was over. No one was looking for him anymore. Even Bart and Clark had given up. They'd run everywhere they could, unsuccessfully. With lives of their own to live, they couldn't keep searching. Bart had promised that whenever he found himself in that area that he'd do a quick sweep on the off chance that he would find Oliver.

It was finally hitting her. He was gone.

As thought crossed her mind, she sobbed harder, and clutched the comforter in her hand. Sobs convulsed her body.

"Chloe Ann Sullivan!"

She started slightly and turned toward the door as it burst open, revealing a very pissed off Gabe Sullivan.

"What they hell were you thinking?" he demanded. "Dating Oliver Queen! Are you crazy?"

"Dad," Chloe said weakly. She sat up on the bed, trying to get his attention, but he was too busy ranting.

"Do you know the reputation he has? He's a playboy, Chloe. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be associated with someone like him? He was using you!"

"No he wasn't," she whispered.

"I thought you were smarter than that Chloe!" her dad shouted, pacing the room in his anger. "The kid's slept with every girl he's ever come across and you really thought dating him was good idea? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Chloe finally found her voice. "I love him!"

Gabe stopped short, staring at his daughter as though she'd just spoken an alien language. "What?"

"I love him," Chloe said more softly. But as she went on, her voice grew exponentially in volume. "Ollie's not the guy from the tabloids. That was just an act he was putting on to dull the pain. He was my friend before he was anything else. He has never been anything but kind to me. He's been been there for me when you haven't."

"So this is my fault?" Gabe hissed. "Because I haven't been around enough you go decide to abandon common sense with the first good looking guy to cross your path? Was this some cry of attention? Because Lois never did something that crazy!"

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded. "This isn't about you! Oliver offered to be my friend when most people wouldn't give me a second glance and it grew into something bigger than that. It happened fast, but it happened. And it was amazing."

"Of course it was," her father snapped. "He was seducing you!"

"That's not what he was doing!"

"That's all he does!"

Chloe stood with her hand on her hips, glaring at her father. "Then why didn't he break up with me after we were captured by my psycho stalker?"

For a moment, she thought her dad's eyes were going to bug out his head. "You were attacked?"

"In October," she said shortly. "Ollie and I were hanging out. And we were both taken because the guy thought that Oliver was a threat. He got really beat up, trying to protect me, Dad. Oliver was more concerned with my safety than his own. And when he got out of there, instead of telling me he wanted nothing to do with me, he asked me out. You have no idea what we felt for each other. You can't come in here just attacking me like that!"

"I find out that my daughter is involved with the poster child for sex, drugs, and alcohol, and I'm supposed to be okay with that?" Gabe screeched.

"You're supposed to trust my judgement!"

"You're seventeen! You don't have judgement!"

"I'm eighteen, since you apparently forgot. And you leave me alone the majority of the year with Lois as parental supervision!"

"Well I obviously misjudged you," he snapped. "Because I really thought you were mature enough to handle the responsibilities of living alone."

Chloe stared at her father. He had no idea what she went through on a daily basis. He had no idea that she dealt with meteor infected crazy people on a daily basis. Or that her best friend was an alien and that included a lot of complications. He didn't know that she dealt with the gossip that came with dating Oliver Queen.

"I'm really disappointed in you Chloe," her dad hissed.

Lois chose that moment to enter the room. Judging from the angry look on her cousin's face, Chloe knew that she'd heard most of the conversation. Lois grabbed her uncle's arm and towed him out of the room. Chloe could hear them shouting for hours. At least one of them still cared about her feelings.

Chloe collapsed on the bed, weeping brokenly.

(Story Break)

Not long after that confrontation she packed her bags and walked out of the house. She couldn't stand the looks her father gave her whenever Oliver's name came up or whenever they were in the same room. The Kents had taken her in, under the explanation that since Lois was away for college and Gabe was still traveling for work, that they didn't want Chloe to have to be alone. Her dad had begrudgingly accepted. After all, the Kents should be able to keep her out of trouble.

The moment she'd graduated high school, Chloe had moved to Metropolis, away from her father's influence. His monthly visits to the Kent Farm to check up on her had been strained at best and volatile at worst. The apartment she found was in a decent part of town, not far from the Planet. Crime wasn't too high, and Clark was always on the streets. In the year she'd been living in the city, she'd only had to call him for help when she was intentionally flirting with danger to get her story.

She made it her apartment without incident. Once inside, Chloe dropped her purse and laptop bag on the chair just inside the door and stumbled into the bedroom where she changed into her pajamas. She turned on the TV in the living room for background noise before collapsing onto the bed.

Her head had barely hit the pillow when there was a knock on her front door. Groaning, Chloe rolled over and pulled the pillow over her face. It was almost one o'clock in the morning. If it was Lois, she would have called first and would already be shouting to be let in and if it was Clark he'd have just come in through the balcony. Whoever it was could come back in the morning.

Another series of sharp, insistent taps echoed through the tiny apartment. She pulled the pillow tighter over her ears, hoping to block out the sound. There was yet more knocking. Cursing angrily under her breath, Chloe climbed out of bed, and reached toward the dresser where she usually kept her purse and her taser. But her hand met thin air.

"Damn it," she hissed. Her purse with her taser inside it was laying on the chair in the entryway. One would think that after surviving all those close calls in Smallville that she'd have learned to keep a weapon on her person at all times. But she hadn't, apparently.

Cursing again, Chloe slipped out into the living room, trying to remain as silent as possible. She was half way across the room when her mysterious visitor knocked again.

"Go away!" she shouted. "It's the middle of the night! I'm not letting you in!"

There was no answer, just another urgent knock on the door. Chloe groaned and seized her taser, banging on the door herself. "I'm serious!" she snapped. "Go the hell away or I swear to god I will taze you!"

Still no answer. But there was also no accompanying knock. Chloe stood on her toes to look out the peephole, trying to catch a glimpse of her seemingly mute visitor. But there were not lights in the hall and all she could make out was a vague shape, a shadow really, moving slowly outside her door. For a moment, it looked like the visitor as going to leave, but then they turned back and tapped gently on the door.

Chloe sighed. Whoever it was, they certainly weren't acting like someone who wanted to kill her. If they'd wanted to do her harm, they'd have knocked down the door already or threatened her in someway, not just stood outside the door, trying to communicate with her via some half-assed attempt at morse code.

"All right," she shouted, relenting slightly. "But you have to tell me who you are. I've had way too many close calls during the course of my life to just let you in on blind faith. You've got to give me something to go off of here."

There was no answer."

"Look, that's my only condition. If you don't answer me, I'm not opening the door."

He still didn't answer. But there was a soft thump, as though who ever it was had dropped their head onto the door in exasperation. Chloe sighed.

"All right, look," she called through the door. "If you come back in the morning we can talk. But I'm not letting you into my apartment in the middle of the night unless you tell me who you are. That's all I'm asking you for."

At first, she thought that there was no reply and she was about to turn and walk away when she realized that who ever was outside was speaking softly, in a cracked murmur that barely made it through the door.

"Speak up," she prompted. "I can't hear you."

There was the slightest increase in volume, but she still couldn't make out the muttering. Her visitor must have realized that because there was another soft thump and the door vibrated slightly. Chloe pressed her ear to the cold, smooth wood, and strained to hear. She could just make out the words, "I can't. I can't."

Her heart melted slightly, but her self-preservation instinct remained strong. "If you can't talk to me, then I'm not letting you in tonight. I'm sorry."

And she really was. It was obvious that it was no fault of her visitor that he couldn't answer her questions. But she just couldn't bring herself trust some anonymous stranger after all the weird things that had happened to her over the years.

"I'll make you a deal," she said. "Come by in the morning around eight and we can talk. I leave for work just before nine so we'll have plenty of time to talk, okay?"

Dropping her taser back into her bag, she turned to head back to her room. She paused and looked back at the door, feeling horrible that she was probably leaving someone who needed help standing outside her door. But she had too many freaks coming after her to trust that easily.

An agonized voice, rough and broken, barely even human, pierced the silence. "Chloe, please let me in!"

She stopped short, gasping quietly. That voice, gravelly and distorted though it was, was hauntingly familiar. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt a chill slide down her spine.

"Please!" the person pleaded, the volume almost gone from his voice, as though shouting had taken every ounce of volume he had.

It was that pleading that finally broke Chloe's resolve. Her natural tendency to help anyone and everyone she came across kicked in. Spinning on her heal, she stomped back toward the door.

"All right," she shouted. "But I'm warning you, if this is some kind of trick, I swear to god I will taze you. And if you think I'm kidding, I will taze you in the balls!"

Flipping on the living room light so that she could see, Chloe yanked open the door, clutching the taser in her hand.

The taser fell to the ground, slipping from her limp fingers and narrowly missing her foot. The electrical charge crackled as it hit the ground, but she remained stock still, completely unmoving, sure that the sight before her was some figment of her imagination, that she was still dreaming and had never gotten out of bed, or that she'd finally lost her mind.

Frowning slightly, trying to determine if what she was seeing was real or if she'd finally lost it, Chloe whispered, "Oliver?"

She was almost sure that she was seeing him, framed in her doorway. But the man she was seeing wasn't the same man she'd said goodbye to two years before or the man who had starred in her dreams every night since that day. His skin, usually lightly tanned, was deep brown and was weather beaten and worn. He looked like he'd lost twenty pounds, causing the muscles on his arms to stand out. His hair was slightly longer and looked ragged, as though it had been cut with a knife to keep it out of his face. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face was drawn in exhaustion.

Despite his haggard appearance, it looked like Oliver had recently had a shower and gotten cleaned up. He was freshly shaven and his hair was clean. He was dressed in a white short-sleeve t-shirt and khaki pants. His gaze was sharp and alert and he was staring at Chloe intently.

"No. No, it's impossible," she murmured, backing away a few steps, trembling slightly, and toying anxiously with hem of her shirt. "You can't be here. I'm still dreaming. This isn't real. It can't be real."

Oliver looked stricken. His mouth fell open slightly. For the first time since she had opened the door, he moved, stepping toward her, into the apartment and closing the door behind him. "Chloe," he whispered, his voice weak and broken, as though from long disuse. "It's me. I'm really here"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she shook her head vehemently, her entire body trembling almost violently. "No," she sobbed. "It's another dream. When I wake up you'll be gone again and I'll be alone. I can't lose you again."

His face softened as realized what was wrong. "Oh, Chloe," he whispered. "I'm right here. I'm real. You're not dreaming and you're not crazy. You're awake and I'm right here."

Still shaking, Chloe continued moving away until her legs hit the arm of sofa. She was crying brokenly, sobs wracking her body. "No, no, no," she murmured.

Oliver closed the distance between them, but Chloe shrank back, almost falling over onto the sofa. Heart clenching at the realization that she couldn't be near him, he stopped short with a few inches still between them.

"No," she murmured again, shaking her head.

Breathing shakily, praying that she wouldn't reject him, Oliver reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, gently brushing the tears away with the pad of his thumb. Chloe flinched slightly, then automatically leaned into him, closing her eyes.

"I'm really here," he whispered, as loud as his disused voice would let him. "I'm not a dream and last time I checked, I don't have Clark's ability to run across the county in a split second, so I'm not going to disappear into thin air. And just in case you're wondering, and being from Smallville it's not as far fetched as it seems, I'm not a ghost either."

Chloe shook her head, looking confused. "But how? It's been two years."

"Believe me," he murmured, his voice cracking under the combined stress of speaking so long and the emotion he was feeling. "I know how long it's been. I spent every minute thinking about you."

"If you're really back, then how come nobody knows?" she demanded, knocking the hand still pressed to her cheek aside. "You're Oliver freaking Queen. You can't just magically reappear out of the blue after two years and not have anyone know! There should have been a press release and some kind of media frenzy! And I would know if there had been seeing as I work at the Daily Planet! This is impossible!"

"No it isn't," Oliver whispered, moving closer and forcing her to look in his eyes. "Queen Industries suppressed the news for a few hours so that I could get here to see you. The first press release should have gone out about an hour ago. I wanted to tell you myself. I didn't want you to find out over the media. That and," he paused slightly, looking away with a sheepish expression on his face. "I just needed to see you."

"How did you find me?" she challenged.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "You do realize that all I'd have to do to find you is pick up a phonebook right? But I was a little desperate so I asked QI to track you down while the doctor was looking at me. I was pretty desperate to see you."

Chloe finally stopped shaking and the tears stopped falling down her cheeks. She looked into Oliver's eyes, blinking away the few tears that still clouded her vision. He gently looked down at her and gently ran his fingers through her hair. Tentatively, she reached up and and touched his cheek, tracing the the lines of his cheek and jaw. Oliver closed his eyes, reveling in her touch.

"It's you," she whimpered. "It's really you."

Opening his eyes, Oliver looked down at her and pressed his forehead to hers. "Yeah. It's me."

Chloe slid her hand down his cheek to rest against her palm against his neck. Unable to stop himself, Oliver moved in closer, brushing his lips against hers.

Realizing what he'd been about to do, Oliver jerked backward, stumbling back several feet. "I'm sorry," he mumbled

Chloe frowned. "For what?"

"For just assuming that everything between us was the same as was before," he said wretchedly. "I know it's been two years and that I was dead for all intents and purposes. I don't expect you to have just put your life on hold while I was gone. I know I'm just making your life complicated. I'm sorry." He backed away a few more steps. "I shouldn't have come."

"No, I'm glad you came. I missed you."

Oliver's face creased in pain. "I missed you too. But I know how long it's been. A lot can change in two years. I don't...I don't expect things to be the way they were. I shouldn't have come here expecting to just pick things up where we left off. I should go. I'll give you a call as soon as things settle down after the media release."

Chloe's mouth fell open and slightly as she realized what he was saying. He was leaving and he thought that she didn't feel anything for him anymore. She wasn't sure if she was touched that even after two years he was still more concerned about her than anything else or hurt that he thought that she would give up on her feelings for him so easily. For a moment, the slightest bit of hurt that he would doubt her won out. Then she remembered that there had been a few times that she'd thought about going out with someone and she had gone out with Jimmy in an attempt to move on. And Oliver wasn't blaming her for that. He was giving her an excuse to not feel the same way he did. He'd made it clear by his actions and by how desperately he'd tried to get into her apartment, that he still felt the way he had when he'd left two years before. It must have killed him to say that.

Oliver reached out and gently caressed her cheek. Before she could do anything, he dropped his hand and walked away. He'd known from the beginning that there was a chance that Chloe would have moved on with her life. Some part of him had hoped that she would, that she wouldn't have spent the last two years pining over him. But another part of him had hoped that she'd still be there for him when he got back. All the preparing he'd done wasn't enough to stop the shaft of ice that drove through his heart. It worse than he could have possibly imagined.

His thoughts were clear on his face and it made Chloe's heart break. She finally had Oliver back and he thought she'd moved on.

"I promise to call you as soon as I can," he said hoarsely before moving toward the door.

Gaping, Chloe watched frozenly as she walked across the house. Feeling returned to her legs and she sprinted across the apartment. She grabbed his arm, pulling him around just as he reached for the doorknob. Oliver frowned in confusion, but Chloe seized the back of his neck, pulling him down to her level and melding her lips to his.

Oliver stiffened for the briefest instant before succumbing to the fire that just the touch of her lips awakened in him. His entire body was vibrating with awareness of her presence. Two years away had made him hypersensitive to her. Her hand gently ran up his side, resting against his ribs. Her touch burned through his shirt. Oliver stepped into her, pressing his body to hers, desperate to feel the heat of her body. He wrapped an arm around her waist, hauling her up against him even tighter. Burying his free hand in her hair, he tilted her head back to gain access to her mouth. Chloe gently caressed his lips his her tongue. Oliver groaned involuntarily and parted his lips, welcoming her gladly. His hand fell to waist, where her shirt had ridden up and he caressed her skin lightly.

Desperate for breath, Chloe pulled away and he rested his forehead against hers

"Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting to do that?" she whispered, her words uneven as she panted. There were tears on her cheeks again.

Oliver smiled ruefully. "I know exactly how long you waited, because you weren't the only one." He gently wiped the tears away from her face again. "Please, stop crying," he murmured.

"Sorry. I'm not usually such a mess, but my boyfriend came back from the dead and I haven't been getting much sleep lately," she teased weakly.

"I'll let you get some sleep," Oliver offered quietly. "I have to leave early tomorrow for a press conference, but I'll call you."

She clung to his shirt, shaking her head. "No. If you go now, I..." She couldn't tell him that she'd wake up thinking he was dead and she wasn't sure that she'd be all right if that happened.

He didn't need her to finish. He could guess what she was thinking. Without preamble, Oliver scooped Chloe into his arms. She didn't protest as he carried her into the bedroom. Everything that had happened since he'd walked in the door had left her exhausted. She couldn't find the strength to protest.

Oliver laid her gently on the bed, pulling the blankets over her. She was already half asleep, lulled by the comfort of his arms.

"Don't go," she mumbled.

Smiling gently, he brushed her hair out of her face and lay down beside her. "I'm not going anywhere."

Author's Note: God, this was hard to write. Sorry for the delay. I literally wrote this in it's entirety three times. My computer froze and I had to restart it, deleting the version I was literally minutes away from posting yesterday. Isn't technology wonderful? Anyway, please, please, please review!


	4. Chapter 3

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

The harsh sound of an alarm pierced the early morning quiet. Groaning, Chloe cracked on eye open. It was still dark. Not even the smallest bit of sunlight had slipped through the gaps in the curtains, which meant it was way too early for her alarm to be going off.

With another groan, Chloe pulled the blankets over her head, trying to recapture the dream she'd been having. Oliver had come back. That was new. Usually they were just together in some random setting, often the beach where they'd had their first date. In the dreams, she never knew who'd he gotten back or where he'd been and often, he'd been forced to leave her again. But this time, he'd appeared in the door of her apartment, he convinced her that he was really there, and they'd shared a fiery kiss. That was new too.

It was been so real, that she could still practically feel his Oliver's arms wrapped securely around her, his chest pressed to her back. She could even feel his breath on her neck.

The insistent beeping pulled Chloe more fully into wakefulness. She surrendered reluctantly, knowing that if she didn't get up soon and didn't put her memories of Oliver safely in a corner of her mind, that she'd regret it later.

Pushing the blankets off her face, she rolled over and slapped at the alarm clock. But her hand met warm, firm skin instead of the cool plastic she'd been expecting. Chloe's eyes flew open. She should have been looking at the neon display of the clock, but instead her view was blocked by the sleeping man laying beside her.

He blinked blearily and frowned at her slightly. "What was that for?" he mumbled.

Unable to actually speak, she just stared at him. He picked up a phone from the bedside table and silenced the alarm, then turned back to her, his eyes alight with concern.

Chloe threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "You're really here. It wasn't a dream," she managed to whisper.

Oliver's chest tightened. He shifted slightly, pushing himself up so that he was sitting against the headboard and Chloe was leaning against him. His arms encircled her tightly as he cradled her against him. "I've been told I'm pretty dreamy," he joked weakly, trying to lighten the mood.

She laughed once, almost hysterically. "Two years and your ego is still safely in tact,"

"As is your snark."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Not really." He brushed her hair out of her face tenderly. "I missed it."

Her face softened. "I just missed you."

"I'm here now and I'm not going to leave," he promised.

She arched an eyebrow, a trace of amusement in her eyes. "I thought you had to get back to Star City?"

"I do," he chuckled. "But I won't disappear off the face of the earth this time."

"You sure?" she teased.

Oliver winced. "As sure as I can be. But it's not as if I can control the environment or the actions of others."

"Too soon for jokes?" Chloe asked, looking up at him sheepishly.

"Just a little," he said softly.

"So how soon do you need to leave?" she asked.

Oliver grabbed his phone off the bedside table and checked the time. "I have to be there in about an hour. It's a three hour flight and I have prep for the press conference at noon, so they want me there early to hammer out some of the details."

"And what time is it now?"

"Five o'clock."

She groaned. "That is ridiculously early. And it'll take you fifteen minutes to get to the airport from here."

"I wish I didn't have to go so soon," Oliver said, caressing her cheek softly.

"You have to," Chloe whispered. "I know that. You have to get your life back and that means spending a lot of time ironing out the details of everything. It can't be easy to legally come back from the dead."

"I wish you could come with me," he said. "I'm going to spend the next few weeks being given the third degree by everyone. It would be nice to have someone in my corner. Which just means that I'll calling you at least every night."

Chloe bit her lip and sat up, avoiding eye contact. "What if I went with you?" she asked softly. "I don't have anything keeping me here. Lois is off gallivanting for the summer and then she'll be at school. Clark can be anywhere in a matter of seconds and don't really talk to my dad anymore."

Not sure that he'd heard her correctly, Oliver raised an eyebrow. "What about the Planet? That's your dream job. Unless you're planning on just staying for the weekend you'll lose that job."

"Well, I was planning on going back to school," she said slowly. "And I got a full scholarship to SCU. They have great journalism program. I just didn't have a reason to go that far from home. But I do now."

"And you'd really be willing to leave everything right now to come with me?"

"Obviously I'd have to come back at some point to get the rest of my stuff, but yeah. I'm willing to up and leave everything right now to come with you."

Grinning broadly, Oliver wrapped her in his arms, pulling her tightly against him. "Have I mentioned that you're absolutely wonderful?"

"Not lately," she chuckled.

"How long will it take you to pack?"

She rolled her eyes. "Five minutes. I just need to throw some clothes in a duffle bag to get me through the next few days. Then I'll catch a ride back to pick up the rest."

"You want some help?"

"You just want an excuse to go through my underwear drawer, don't you?"

"All this time, and you still know me so well."

Laughing, Chloe extricated herself from the blankets. "Can you get my duffle bag from the top of the closet?"

Oliver rose and grabbed her bag, depositing it on the bed. She rifled through the dresser, pulling out clothes and handing them to him. He took them from her and placed them carefully in the bag. When it was full, he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder.

"Do you have a car that you don't want to leave here?" he asked.

Chloe shook her head. "There's no point in having one when everything's in walking distance. Whenever I leave Metropolis, I just call Clark. Do you have a car or do I need to call a cab."

"I have a car," he admitted, almost sheepishly. "It was less conspicuous that taking a cab." He wrapped an arm around Chloe's waist and pulled her out the door.

"Just out of curiosity, what are you going to tell the Planet?" he asked, as they walked out of her apartment.

Chloe paused long enough to grab her purse and laptop bag, before closing the door behind her. "I was thinking that I could tell them the truth. That my billionaire boyfriend came back from the dead and that I've decided to go to school in Star City."

"You want to go public?" he asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "Why not? Don't you think we've hidden long enough?"

Oliver pressed a kiss to her temple. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"I'm always right, don't you know that?"

Laughing, he pushed open the door and held it open for her. "My car's around the corner. Do you want to walk or do you want me to bring it ar-"

"Chloe!"

Stiffening, Chloe turned to see Jimmy hurrying toward them. "Oh, what the hell is he doing here?" she muttered.

"Who is he?" Oliver whispered, ducking his head so that he wouldn't be recognized.

"He's a photographer from the Planet," she explained.

"And how does he know where you live?"

"We get paired together a lot," she hissed. "He's been here to work to on a couple of articles. It's nothing. I swear. Just let me get rid of him."

Oliver nodded and kissed her temple. "Be quick. We don't want to be late."

Smiling gently, Chloe turned and walked toward Jimmy, who was standing about ten feet away, his mouth hanging open.

"What are you doing here this early?"

He glared at her. "I couldn't sleep. I went for a walk and saw that your lights were on."

"So what do you want?"

"Is that why you're not ready to go out with me?" he asked, gesturing at Oliver. "You're with someone else? What happened to needing time? To not being ready because you're boyfriend went missing a few years ago? I mean seriously, why couldn't you tell me the truth?"

"I did tell you the truth," she snapped. "I did need time."

"It's been twelve hours!"

"And a lot has changed in that time."

"I'm sure," he muttered.

Chloe rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to scream. "You know this really isn't any of your business," she snapped. "I told you that I didn't want to go out with you and that's the end of the story."

"You know, I was coming here to apologize. But I don't think you deserve one. I actually felt bad for pushing you. I got home and realized I'd been a complete jackass. I spent the entire night figuring out what I was going to say to you, what I was going to do to apologize, to make sure that I hadn't ruined everything." He shook his head in disappointment. "Why didn't you just tell me there was someone else?"

"Because there wasn't anyone else until last night," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Until about one o'clock this morning, my boyfriend was still missing. Then he showed up at my doorstep. I wasn't ready to go out and I don't even know if I'm ready to do this with him again, but he's the person I'm willing to risk it on."

Jimmy sighed and rubbed his temples. "I'm being a jerk again, aren't I?"

"You think?" she bit out.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just...I really thought we had something and I didn't want my idiocy to screw everything up. The last thing I expected when I came over here was to see you with someone else."

"Apology accepted," Chloe said stiffly. "But let's get something straight, right now. I'm not your girlfriend. You have no right to come charging in, blasting me with questions because you think you have some right to me."

He blushed and shifted his feet in embarrassment. "Have I mentioned the part where I'm sorry? I honestly have no idea where my brain went."

"Just remember it the next time, okay?" She arched her eyebrow and her eyes sparkled a little bit with humor.

"I will," he assured her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his shoes. "If whatever this is doesn't work between you two, do I still have a chance with you?"

Oh for the love of god, he's got a one track mind. "I don't know. I'm kind of hoping that this does work and I'll never have to find out what I'd do if it doesn't."

"Oh," he said softly.

"I'm sorry," Chloe sighed. "But you'll have to find someone else. I'm not the girl for you. Go home, Jimmy. I'll see you later."

Without waiting for him to reply, she turned on her heel and hurried over to where Oliver stood, holding open the door of his car, which he'd apparently pulled around while she was talking to Jimmy. His face was unreadable, but she grinned at him and slid into the passenger seat. Oliver closed the door behind her and walked around to the driver's seat. Without a word, he put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb.

Chloe reached over and laid a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said, flashing her a quick smile. She wasn't convinced.

"Ollie," she said softly, shifting in her seat so that she was more or less facing him. "Please don't hide from me."

His jaw flexed slightly. "That guy seemed like more than a friend."

Chloe groaned. "How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Enough," Oliver said softly, his voice barely audible over the sound of the engine. "Why didn't you tell me that you went out with someone? I told you that I didn't want to make your life complicated, that I didn't expect things to be the way they were when I left. All you had to do as tell me that you were dating someone else. Why didn't you?"

"Because I went on one date with him at least four months ago," Chloe whispered. "I don't care about him. He's a nice guy and everything, but he's not you. I was just trying to stop feeling so empty and so lonely."

There was a slight pause. "Did it work?"

She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "No. It made it worse because all I could do was compare Jimmy to you and it reminded me of all the reasons I fell for you in the first place."

Oliver didn't answer, but his hands tightened on the steering wheel. With an almost inaudible sigh, Chloe turned so that she was looking out the window. She should have known that Jimmy showing up would throw things off kilter. Why hadn't she just told him to leave her alone? Why hadn't she clearly said that she wasn't interested? Hell, why hadn't she said that Oliver was her boyfriend? In an attempt not to put labels on things before it was time, she'd basically told Oliver that she wasn't sure of her feelings for him and that there was someone else in the picture.

Why are relationships so damn complicated? she thought miserably.

They remained silent until Oliver pulled into the parking lot at the private airstrip where the Queen Industries jet was waiting for them. He turned off the ignition, but didn't get out of the car. Sighing, Chloe opened her door and began to climb out. His quiet voice stopped her.

"Why didn't you just tell him that you and I are dating? I thought you wanted to go public."

"I do," she said softly. "I was just trying to get rid of him and if I'd told him that you and are together, let alone who you are, I'd have been stuck there answering a bunch of questions. That and telling him that I need space seems to get me more time. I told him last night to leave me alone and he was back the next morning."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

Eyes blazing, she rounded on him. "Not if I forced myself."

Stiffly, she climbed out of the car and stomped around to the trunk grabbing her duffle bag and laptop case. She flung them over her shoulder and stormed across the tarmac to the waiting plane. Feeling a little insecure, she could understand. Actually questioning her feelings just ticker her off.

The pilot, who was standing at the door, looked at quizzically when she brushed past him, but said nothing. Still furious, Chloe stormed to the very back of the plane and sat down, pulling her laptop out and hiding behind the screen. She clicked open her web browser and the Daily Planet home page popped up. The page was dominated by an immense picture of Oliver beneath the headline Queen Industries CEO Found Alive.

Curious, Chloe clicked the link and a video file appeared.

"Early yesterday afternoon, an emergency signal was picked up by navy ship on maneuvers. The men who responded found a vessel used by well known drug-runners. But the drug-runners themselves were no where to be seen. In their place, rescuers found Oliver Queen, missing since his yacht went down in a storm two years ago, and Tess Mercer, a marine biology student kidnapped in Fiji one month ago. Details are few, but late last night the two arrived in Star City and were immediately taken to Star City general. No news has been heard since, but Mr. Queen is expected to give a press conference this afternoon."

The voice over was accompanied by several short clips and images or Oliver and a tall statuesque red, head Chloe assumed was Tess Mercer. She was beautiful in a pale almost regal way. In every picture she was clinging to Oliver as though he was her lifeline. In the clip that showed the two of them being ushered into the hospital, he had his arm around her shoulders and had her pulled protectively into his side. For one second, Chloe caught a glimpse of Tess's face as the other woman glanced at Oliver. Her eyes lit up with adoration when she looked at Oliver.

Chloe felt her heart clench. She should have realized that Oliver would look to someone else for comfort when he got off the island, simply because there was no way he could be sure of her feelings. But he had a lot of nerve getting angry because of what had happened with Jimmy.

Fighting back tears, she slammed the laptop close and shoved it back in her bag. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she gazed out the window.

"Why didn't you just tell me about him?" Oliver asked.

Blinking the tears out of her eyes, Chloe turned to glare at him. She hadn't even heard him come on board the plane. "Because we were together for all of twenty minutes before I passed out and when we woke up this morning, it didn't exactly come up in conversation," she snapped. "I told you what was important. That there was no one else, that my feelings hadn't changed. Excuse me for not quite getting around to telling you the minute details of my life, especially when you haven't told me everything that happened to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Oliver asked warily, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was yelling at him to apologize. It was drowned out by his insecurities.

Unable to tell him what she had seen, Chloe grabbed her laptop and shoved it toward him. Raising an eyebrow, he sat down in the nearest seat and opened it. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the video. Confused, her hit the play button.

As the video played, Oliver felt an iron band constrict around his heart. It had never occurred to him what he and Tess looked like to the outside observer. He watched the clip of them walking into the hospital over and over. It looked like they were a couple who were seriously in love.

Shame coursed through him as he realized what a hypocrite he'd been. There was absolutely nothing going on between him and Tess, but she was the first person he'd come in contact with, excluding the drug-runners who'd tried to kill him on sight. She'd been scared out her mind after being kidnapped and held against her will. Oliver had only been trying to help comfort her and after spending so much time completely alone, being in the presence of another person had been something he desperately needed. But it definitely looked like something more than just two people taking comfort in each other's presence and he knew that the tabloids would make them out to be in a relationship.

Oliver hadn't even taken that into account when he'd assumed that Chloe had moved on and simply hadn't told him because she was caught up in relieving the past. Hearing that she and the geeky guy who'd walked up to her had gone out had sent pain stabbing through his heart and he'd lost all ability to think rationally.

Forcing himself to remain calm, to betray none of the trepidation and panic coursing through him, he closed the laptop and set it aside. Chloe wasn't looking at him. She was staring out the window, tears coursing silently down her cheeks.

The intercom crackled to life. "Please buckle you're seat belts. We'll be taking off momentarily."

Oliver picked up the bag and carefully placed the laptop into it. Mechanically, Chloe pulled the seat belt across her lap. Sighing, he moved to sit beside her, but she ignored him.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: At this point, I think I'm incapable of actually writing a happy moment without then screwing it up for the characters. Let me know what ya think!<em>


	5. Chapter 4

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

Chapter 4

Silence filled the cabin until the plane was in the air and even then neither of them broke it. Chloe didn't move from her position-knees drawn up to her chest, eyes staring out the window. Tension beat off her in waves.

The pilot had just given the okay to unbuckle their seat belts when Oliver decided he couldn't stand it any longer.

"I'm a complete idiot, aren't I?"

She made no indication that she'd heard him.

Oliver groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Chloe, I am so sorry," he murmured, his chest unbearably tight. "There's nothing going on between me and Tess. I just helped free her from the maniacs who'd kidnapped her. And I should never have interrogated you about Jimmy. I just..." he faltered slightly. "I thought that everything was going to be okay and when I heard that the two of you had gone out I realized that I could lose you. It freaked me out."

Chloe finally turned to look at him. "There's nothing going on between me and Jimmy."

"I believe you," Oliver said fervently. "And I am so sorry that I doubted you. You are the most important thing in my life and I was just scared that I was going to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," she whispered. "Am I going to lose you?"

"No! God, no, Chloe. I don't feel anything for Tess. She's just a girl that I saved, like all the Smallvile High students that we saved from meteor freaks."

"Meteor infected," Chloe corrected automatically. "We met a few who are actually using their abilities to save people."

He rolled his eyes, intensely relieved that she seemed to be up to joking. "I never pegged you for the type to be politically correct. But all right, meteor infected. I promise you, nothing happened between me and Tess."

Chloe sighed and relaxed, leaning against Oliver's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you either, Ollie. And seeing the way she looked at you after dealing with you and Jimmy didn't having me thinking clearly. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he assured her in a low voice as he wrapped his arms around her. "I understand. All that matters is that we're on the same page now."

"But we're never going to be able to just pick up where we left off, are we?" she asked in a small voice.

Oliver's grip on her tightened. "Apparently not. Two years is a long time. A lot has happened and we're different people."

"So what do we do?"

He shrugged. "Chloe, you were the only thing that kept me going on the island. I'm not about to give up on our relationship because things are complicated. But maybe we need to step back and get to know each other again and deal with what happened before we try for a relationship."

"So basically we become friend who used to be more than friend and who know have the potential for more than friendship again?"

Chuckling, Oliver nodded. "Yeah. Is that all right with you?"

"If it means getting to spend time with you and having you in my life again, the definitely."

"Do you still want to stay with me or does that cross the friendship line?" he asked hesitantly.

Chloe looked up, cocking a brow. "Who said I was staying with you in the first place?"

He felt his heart fall slightly. "I just assumed...I can get you a hotel room if that's easier," Oliver offered, trying not to let the disappointment he was feeling color his tone.

"I was just teasing," Chloe said with a grin. "Of course I'll stay with you. Friends do that and I'm here for moral support. It makes more sense for us to be in the same place."

Immensely relieved, Oliver hugged her tightly. She smiled and wrapped one arm around his waist, moving closer to him. He pressed his cheek into her hair. Their behavior probably wasn't strictly that of just friend, but neither of them could bring themselves to care. The knew where they stood with each other and that was all that mattered.

Chloe's phone vibrated in her pocket. Sighing slightly, she sat up and pulled it out. She winced when she saw the name on the screen.

"Who is it?" Oliver asked curiously.

She grimaced. "Lois."

"Do you think she saw the news report?" he asked warily. He didn't like thinking about what Lois might do to him considering she probably blamed him for abandoning her cousin.

"Probably," Chloe said, her grimace deepening. "This is going to be an interesting conversation."

"why don't you answer it on speaker phone?" he suggested. "That way you don't have to deal with her alone."

She shook her head. "No. I have to deal with her on my own." She quickly answered the phone before the call could go to voicemail.

"Lois, why are you calling me at seven in the morning?" she asked, trying to sound as though the phone had woken her up.

"Have you read the Daily Planet this morning?" Lois asked abruptly, completely ignoring her cousin's question. "Or have you gone in yet?"

"Why?" Chloe asked evasively.

"Because I want to know the answers to the crossword puzzle," Lois retorted sarcastically. "Why do you think, cuz?"

Chloe drew in a deep breath and Oliver, sensing the annoyance beginning to tug at her, took her hand reassuringly. "I have no idea," she said calmly. "So why don't you tell me, Lois?"

Lois sighed, causing the speaker to crackle loudly. "Oliver's alive, Chloe," she said flatly. "They found him in the middle of nowhere. He got to Star City late last night. It's in the paper and it's been all over the news this morning."

"Oh," Chloe said softly. "Yeah, I saw that."

"Of course you did," Lois sighed. "You always know the news before it happens. How're you holding up, cuz?"

Chloe shrugged, despite the fact that Lois couldn't see her. "I'm fine, Lo. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Why wouldn't you be?" Lois repeated incredulously. "Chlo, you were in love with him! You spent months believe that he was still out there, refusing to believe that he was dead. I know his disappearance was hard on you. Now he's literally pulled a Lazarus and you expect me to believe that you're not itching to go running into his arms?"

"Well I'm not," Chloe said with a slight laugh.

"You've lost your mind. Any sane person would be hopping on a plane to Star City right now."

Chloe laughed again. "Well I'm not. I've already done the whole tearful reunion thing."

There was dead silence and Chloe grinned at the thought of the shocked look on her cousins face. It was a shame she wasn't going to get to see it.

"Run that by me again," Lois deadpanned.

"Ollie showed up at my apartment last night," Chloe explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lois shrieked.

Chloe pulled the phone away from he ear, grimacing slightly before answering. "I was a little busy, Lo. It was the middle of the night when he showed up and we were both exhausted and right now we're on our way to Star City, so I hadn't quite gotten around to calling you."

"Star City?" Lois repeated.

"Uh huh." Chloe sighed, rapidly tiring of the conversation. "He's got to give a press conference and he's got to deal with getting his company back. He wanted a friendly face. Besides, I've decided to go to school here."

"So this is a permanent thing?"

"Yep."

"When did you decide that?"

"About two hours ago," Chloe admitted.

"Aren't you rushing into things?" Lois asked. "I mean, he has been gone for two years."

"Maybe," Chloe sighed. "But it's either go with him to Star City or stay behind and attempt to figure things out long distance."

"Are you and Oliver picking up where left off?" Lois asked curiously.

Chloe almost winced at the question. "We're taking things slowly, Lois. A lot's happened in the past two years and we have to come to terms with that. Eventually, we hope to get to where we were before all of this happened. But for the moment, we're taking a step back."

Her phone beeped as she finished, indicated an incoming call and she almost laughed in relief. She loved her cousin, but sometimes, Lois was a bit too much to handle. Olive stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I have to go," Chloe said quickly. "I have another call. I'll talk to you later."

"All right," Lois grumbled. "Tell billionaire boy wonder that it's about time he came back."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Bye, Lois."

Ignoring her cousins continued grumbles. Chloe switched to her other call.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?" Clark asked worriedly. "I stopped by your apartment and you weren't there."

She groaned. "What were you doing at my apartment?"

"I have a problem I need some help researching and I wanted to catch you before you went into the Planet," Clark said defensively. "Where are you? Is everything all right? It looks like you left in a hurry."

Sighing heavily, Chloe leaned back against Oliver. "That might be because I did leave in a hurry, Clark."

"Why?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Because Oliver and I are going to Star City."

"Did you say Oliver?"

"Yeah. He turned up at my apartment last night. Can we move past that to why you were at my apartment? I've already had this conversation with Lois."

Beside her, Oliver chuckled. He'd missed listening to her banter with their friends.

"You don't think we should talk about the fact that Oliver just appeared out of nowhere?"

"No, Clark. I don't."

"Look, Chloe I know that you want to believe that he's back, but what if it's some kind of trap? It's something Lex would do. You know how much he hates you for keeping my secret and for snooping around his business."

"Clark, you can't be serious."

"I want it to be him as much as you do, but we need to consider the possibility that Lex is up to something again," Clark said rationally.

"Well you can stop worrying," Chloe snapped. "It's really Oliver."

Beside her, Oliver raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't think I'm real?"

"It's complicated," she whispered. "I'll explain in a minute."

"Who are you talking to?" Clark asked curiously.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm talking to Oliver. Who else would I be talking to?" Chloe pursed her lips in exasperation. "Look, e-mail me the information you have on your problem and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. But it might not be until later tonight. So if it's urgent, do the research yourself."

"That's okay," he sighed. "It wasn't that urgent."

"And yet you still came by my apartment at an ungodly hour."

She could picture him wincing. "Sorry."

"I'm just teasing, Clark. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Chlo. Call me if you need me to come to Star City."

"I will," she said tiredly, hanging up the phone.

Groaning, Chloe tossed her phone into her purse and dropped her head back against the seat.

"That bad?" Oliver asked gently.

"Not really," Chloe admitted. "They actually didn't give me the third degree that much. But they're both going to have a ton of questions. This was just the beginning."

"I'm sorry that I'm making you're life complicated," he apologized softly.

"My life was complicated already. You're return hadn't added to that. It's actually helped simplify for some things." She looked up at him almost shyly. "So stop apologizing already. The questions are probably better than the sympathetic stares."

Oliver looked away from her. "I just feel like I've ruined your life on some level."

Without warning, she slapped his arm, hard enough to make her hand sting. Flinching, Oliver jerked away and glared at her. "What the hell was that for?"

"For being an idiot," she snapped, meeting his glare with an equally icy stare of her own. "You didn't ruin my life. Oliver, I've never been happier than when I was with you, even when we were being attacked my meteor infected psychos. I missed you while you were gone. Hell, I more than missed you. But that didn't ruin my life. And now that you're back, and yes things are complicated, but life is complicated. Stop blaming yourself for everything that had gone wrong . Stop anticipating the worst. That's what got us in this mess."

"What mess? We're not in a mess."

"You mean the mess where you jumped to conclusions about what happened with Jimmy and I jumped to conclusions about Tess?" she snapped, her temper rising. "We're both expecting everything to fall apart because that's all that ever happened in our lives. But if we keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, we'll just end up where were when the plane took off."

Oliver sighed, running a hand through his hair, and looked away. "You're right. But I can't help waiting for the other shoe to drop. I keep expecting to either wake up and find myself back on the island I spent the last two years stranded on or for everything to fall apart because that what happens my life."

"I'm familiar with the phenomena," Chloe said ruefully. She placed a hand on his arm, trying to get him to look at her. "My life's been the same way. I get why you feel the way you do. But I'm asking you to realize that if you keep expecting the worst, that's what you're going to get."

"It's not that simple. I wish it was. But it's not." He finally met her gaze and the expression of pain and confusion in his eyes nearly broke her heart.

"It is that simple," she said softly. "It's hard, but it's simple. And I'm just as guilty of it as you. So we'll work at it together."

"I don't know if I can do it, Chloe."

"That's why we do it together. It's not easy to let go of the past. But we have to do it."

Oliver sighed and closed his eyes. "Chloe, I spent a lot of time on that island, thinking that I'd never see you again, see any of our friends again. I don't think that over coming all the nightmares I had of never seeing you again are going to be easy to overcome. Every time I think one of those nightmares is going to come true..." His voice cracked and he trailed off.

"I know, Ollie. I really do. I had those nightmares too. But they were just nightmares. You think it doesn't freak me out when I think you're leaving? Last night when I thought you were going to leave, my heart almost literally stopped because I thought you were leaving for good again. When I woke up this morning, I thought it had all been a dream." She slid her hand down his arm, squeezing his hand. "But those nightmares are only nightmares. They only have power as long as we give them power."

He finally relaxed into her and opened his eyes. "Taking the power away from them isn't going to be easy. And it's not going to be a short process."

"But I'll help you," Chloe cut in. "If you help me."

"I will," he promised. "I guess I'm a little more screwed up than I thought."

She shook her head. "Not screwed up. There's nothing wrong with you."

"You always see the best in me. I didn't realize just how much you did for me until you weren't there."

"I could say the same," she chuckled. "You always made me feel like I was noticeable. With everyone else, I tend to blend into the wood work. Not with you."

"Can you promise me something?" he asked, his voice quiet and hesitant.

Sitting up slight, she nodded. "Yeah."

"Promise me that no matter what happens the next few weeks, whether we become friends or something more, that you won't hide from me. That you'll be open and honest with me. I need to know what's been happening, what is happening, in your life."

Her eyes softened. "Of course, Ollie. But you have to make that same promise. Don't keep me on the outside."

"Never," he whispered.

"Ditto."

Sighing deeply, Oliver settled back in his chair. "You know, when I pictured finally seeing you again, I didn't see all these deep conversation. I was hoping for more making out and laughing."

Chloe laughed. "That's was more of what I pictured to. Figures that's not what we'd get."

"Our lives are ridiculously complicated, aren't they?"

"And you're just now discovering this?"

"More like rediscovering."

"Two years missing in the middle of the ocean didn't remind of that constantly?"

He chuckled. "I suppose so."

"How could you possibly forget?"

"Who says I did?"

"Very funny."

Yawning, Chloe leaned back in her chair. Oliver stood and grabbed a blanket from a compartment above their heads, handing it to her. "Why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested quietly. "We have a few hours and I know I got you up early this morning and I deprived you of coffee."

Shooting him a glare, Chloe pulled the blanket to her chin and curled up on her side in the chair. "Don't mention coffee when I can't have any. That's just cruel."

"I'll get you some as soon as we land," he promised. "Now get some sleep."

Her eyes drifted shut even as she struggled to keep them open. Sleepily, she took Oliver's hand in hers. "You'll be here when I wake up, right?"

"You know I will," he whispered. "Just go to sleep. You're going to need all of your energy when we get to Star City. It's going to be a madhouse."

"Can't be worse than the crises I faced the past two years," she muttered.

"You're going to have to tell me about those crises later," Oliver said flatly. "Do you have any idea how many nights I lost sleep wondering what kind of trouble you'd gotten yourself into?"

"The same number of nights I spent wondering what the hell happened to you?"she suggested.

He chuckled. "Go to sleep, Chlo. I'll wake you up when we land."

Chloe mumbled something incoherent. He laughed again, more quietly than before so as not to wake her. For several long moments, he gazed at her, watching her sleep. It was a sight he'd missed. When he was sure she was asleep, Oliver gently brushed his hand along her cheek, pushing her hair away from her face.

Part of him regretted their decision to step back and to be just friends for the time being. He still craved being closer to Chloe. Their kisses the night before left him wanting more. For months leading up to his disastrous trip, he'd been craving more and if he hadn't been forced on that damn trip, he'd been seriously considering taking the next step in their relationship. By that point, sex had ceased to be meaningless. He knew that if he crossed that line with Chloe, it would bring them closer instead of separate them.

And Oliver had wanted that. He still wanted that. He wanted it more than he'd realized until he had Chloe in his arms again. But he wanted his relationship with her to last and he knew that if they crossed that invisible line carrying all the issues they had right then, their relationship would end. And he couldn't bare the thought of that.

It would be hard and Oliver knew that. But if he learned anything while on the island, it was that everything worth having was difficult to maintain. And he wasn't about to give up without a fight.

As Chloe drifted further into sleep, she was vaguely aware of Oliver's hand caressing her cheek. Her body responded to his touch in ways that were strange, but not unwelcome. She craved him in a way that she never thought possible. Her last conscious thought was that she hoped that they'd be able to work through all the things that had happened, and all the things that had changed over the past two years.


	6. Chapter 5

Title: Gift of Fate

Rating: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

Summary: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

Warning: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

Spoilers: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

Author's Note: So the story's been a little slow up to this point, and will continue to be for a while longer. But there are a lot of emotions to deal with here. Things will pick up soon. So bear with me.

Chapter 5

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Oliver glanced up from his phone and smiled weakly at Chloe. They'd landed at a private airstrip outside Star City to avoid attention and were on their way to Oliver's penthouse to drop her off. "There's nothing you can do. The board and I have to straighten things out so I can have my company back and then I have to give the press conference. Aside from standing in the corner, you can't do anything. There's no point in both of us being bored to death."

"I thought I was supposed to be here for moral support," Chloe said, arching her eyebrow.

"And you are," he chuckled. "Coming home to someone who hasn't spent the entire day dealing with all of this crap and who isn't completely run down is going to be a blessing."

Chloe sighed. "All right. But what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Whatever you want," he shrugged. "Settle in at the penthouse. The guest room is all yours, just so you know. There's no food in the place, but there should be some take out menus in the drawer by the fridge."

"I can go shopping if you want me to," she offered.

He shook his head. "No. We can take care of that later. I don't know how much I'm actually going to be around the next few days. There's no point in stocking the kitchen if it's just going to be you. I'll have a better idea of what's going to be happening over the next few days after I talk to the board. Just order takeout on me."

"You do realize that it's not going to take me all day to unpack my one bag, right?"

"I'm sure it won't," he laughed. "But you'll find something to do. Just," he paused slightly and became more serious than he had been before. "Do me a favor. Don't watch the press conference."

"Why not?" Chloe asked in confusion.

"I want to tell you myself," he said softly. "They're going to ask questions about where I've been and what happened to me. I don't want you to hear the bare minimum facts I'm going to be giving the press. I want you to know everything, but I want you to know it from me, not a broadcast."

She nodded. "All right. I'll just find something else to occupy my time."

"I'm sure you'll find something to do. You can always spend the day watching movies."

"That's not a bad idea, actually," she admitted. "I don't know when the last time I saw a movie all the way through."

"Would that be about two years ago?" he suggested, half teasing, half shamefully.

Chloe laughed. "I never finished a movie when you were around."

He smiled at that. "We did tend to get distracted, didn't we?"

"All the time. You were really good at that."

"If I remember correctly, you were too." Oliver offered her a slight grin.

Chloe felt her heart constrict slightly and an almost overpowering desire to kiss him washed over her. But she knew it would only complicate things further. They still hadn't even attempted to address everything that had happened during the two years they were apart. But that one kiss they had shared the night before had been enough to reawaken her body to him the way she had been before.

Beside her, Oliver was dealing with the same problem. It didn't help matters that he'd been alone for all but the tail end of the last two years. Just being near Chloe was intoxicating and it was taking all of his will power not to pull her into his lap and never let her go. The part of his brain that was still rational acknowledged that he needed to deal with everything that had happened to him and to Chloe before that could happen. At the moment, he was definitely cursing that rationality.

The car came to a stop in front of Queen Towers, as the apartment building was generally called by most people. Chloe sighed, giving him a small smile.

"You have my new cellphone number, right?" he asked. "And the code for the elevator?"

She nodded. "I'll call if I need anything. Don't worry. I'll see you later, okay?"

"All right."

"Good luck."

Almost reluctantly, Chloe slid out of the car, closing the door behind her. She stood on the sidewalk and waited until the car was out of sight before she picked up her bags and slipped inside.

The building was mostly high priced apartments, with Oliver's penthouse at the very top. She made her way to the private elevator that led to his apartment. She keyed in the code when prompted, swiping the access card he'd given her as well. Chloe felt almost nervous riding up the elevator. The last time she'd been to his apartment had been right after Justin Gaines had attacked them. Despite the fact that he'd been going back to Star City every other weekend or better during the school year to learn what he needed to about running Queen Industries, Chloe hadn't gone with him, mostly for two reasons. First, Oliver had been spending most of his time on the trips in meetings and mini lessons with some of his board members, so they wouldn't have had time to hang out anyway. Second, he'd been worried about the media attention they'd receive if Chloe started coming with him on every trip. The last thing he'd wanted was for the tabloids to get a hold of something and twist it around, sending Chloe running for the hills. They'd managed to keep their relationship low key, and he wanted to keep it that way. So instead, they'd spent the days apart, keeping in contact via phone, e-mail, and video chat. It felt kind of surreal, being back there after so long.

When the elevator doors finally slid open, Chloe's heart was racing. She ordered herself to stop being stupid and walked inside.

The penthouse hadn't changed much in the past two years. But it was almost sterile. The last time Chloe had stood in that room there had been magazines scattered across the table, the throw pillows had been scattered haphazardly on the couch instead of nearly arranged. There had been dishes in the sink and fruit on the counter. His desk had been covered in papers. It looked like a model house or something. Everything was spotless, as though it hadn't been lived in. Chloe had to force herself to remember that it really hadn't been.

Sighing and gritting her teeth, she hauled her stuff into the guest room. The silence in the penthouse was almost deafening and slightly unnerving. Chloe preoccupied herself with unpacking for about half an hour, fiddling with her clothing until there was absolutely nothing she could do. Grabbing her laptop, she moved back to the living room. She picked a movie out of Oliver's extensive collection and popped it in the player. Sitting cross-legged on the couch, she opened her laptop and settled back for a long day.

(STORY BREAK)

Oliver rubbed his temples tiredly. It had been a long, long day. As it turned out, he couldn't actually take control of his company until he was either twenty-five or had completed a four year degree. The board had agreed to give him what authority they could in the mean time, on the condition that Oliver go to school at SCU and continue to attend meetings and actively participate in the company. They'd warned him that they'd be watching him carefully and that if he screwed up even once, he wouldn't get a second chance.

Talk about pressure. On some level, Oliver knew that they weren't threatening to throw him out if he made a business mistake or something like that. In fact, they were probably expecting that. No, they were talking about the stupid stunts he pulled in years past. But that didn't make the prospect any less frightening, especially considering his reputation for screwing up.

Then there had been the press conference. That had been fun. The reporters had fired questions at him mercilessly. Some had even gone so far as to insinuate that he'd been screwing around for the past two years. Every bit of his dirty laundry had been aired out. He'd been incredibly grateful that Chloe had agreed not to watch the press conference. It wasn't as if he was under the misguided impression that she didn't know those things about him. Chloe researched everyone she came across, simply out of habit. He just didn't want her to have to hear about it from him.

The elevator came to a stop and the door slid open. A weight lifted of his shoulders as he stepped into the living room. Chloe was sitting on the couch, looking at her computer and completely ignoring the movie that was playing. She looked up when he walked in and smiled.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he answered tiredly. Loosening his tie and tossing it on the table, Oliver collapsed on the sofa beside her.

"That bad, huh?"

"You have no idea. Be glad you didn't have to sit through it."

"Have you eaten at all?"

Before he could answer, his stomach growled. He glanced at her sheepishly. Chloe held back her laughter. "I take that as a yes. Chinese sound good?"

"Yeah. Do you-"

"Remember our order?" she finished. "By heart. Just give me a minute to call it in. Why don't you go change into something more comfortable?"

With a groan, Oliver heaved himself back to his feet and stumbled down the hallway toward his bedroom. It felt almost surreal standing in there again. It was too neat. He wasn't a typical teenaged slob by any means. But he wasn't a neat freak either, at least not with his bedroom. There were usually books, clothes, and odds and ends scattered around. But not only was it cleaner than usual, most of his stuff was in boxes stacked in the closet. The penthouse had been used to accommodate visiting businessmen while he was gone. It didn't feel like home anymore. Not that it ever really had.

Oliver walked over to the closet. He lugged the boxes out and spread them throughout the room. He went through the boxes until he found what he was looking for. Digging a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants out, he quickly pulled them on. It felt good to be in his own clothes, in something comfortable.

Yawning widely and rolling his neck in a vain attempt to relieve some of the tension, he made his way back to the living room. Chloe was still on the phone, so he sat down and dropped his head back against the sofa, closing his eyes. After a moment, he felt the cushions dip.

"Food'll be here in about an hour," Chloe said. "I ran to the deli earlier. There's some of my sandwich left if you want it."

He cracked an eye open. "I'm fine. What did you do today?"

"Oh, it was action packed," she grinned. "I unpacked, called the Planet and told them that I was going to have to quit, confirmed my attendance to SCU, sent in my resume to the Star City Register, and basically trolled around on the internet."

Her grin faltered at that, only slightly, but Oliver noticed. He sat up. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him in confusion. "Nothing."

"Chloe," he said firmly. "It may have been two years, but I can still tell when something's bothering you. What did you find on the internet?"

She hesitated to tell him. To be honest, she wasn't sure that she'd found anything.

"What happened to being open with each other?" he asked gently.

She shot him a look. "I was looking through some of the old Register articles and I came across a couple of articles about some recent homicides. There were some similarities between the cases and being the conspiracy theorist that I am, I started thinking that there might be a connection."

Oliver shook his head in astonishment. "You are the only one who could move to a new city and find the psychos."

"Funny," Chloe deadpanned, whacking him with a pillow. "That was when I stopped looking. I've spent too much time in Smallville."

"What exactly happened in Smallville while I was gone?" Oliver asked.

The mood in the room became abruptly more serious. Chloe sighed and leaned back against the arm of the sofa.

"A lot happened," she admitted. "You sure you want to hear all about it, right now?"

He nodded slowly, shifting closer to her. "We can't make this work if we don't now exactly what happened the past two years. I know I'm not the same guy I was when I left. And I highly doubt that you've gone completely unchanged. But it's not enough to know that we've changed. We need to know why."

"I know," she said with a gentle smile. "What I'm asking, is if you're ready to hear it all right now."

"I don't want to spend any more time wondering what happened to you," Oliver whispered.

"All right," she sighed. "Well, there were the usual meteor infected crazy people going after us. We had a second meteor shower the day of graduation. Lana and I were possessed by sixteenth century witches. I was also possessed by this wannabe prom queen who wrecked her car and died. Clark and I met a few people who are using their powers to help people like Clark is. Lex was experimenting on them. He's completely gone over to the dark side, while Lionel is actually turning into a halfway decent guy. I still don't trust him, but he's not completely evil. Mr. Kent ran for state senate, but he had a heart attack right after he won and passed away. Martha's taken his seat. She's really gotten into it. And last but not least, a walking, talking computer from Clark's home planet is wreaking havoc."

For several moments, Oliver just stared at her.

"I told you it was a lot," she said weakly.

"Believe it or not, it's not as bad as some of the things I imagined."

She frowned at that. "And what did you imagine?"

"More bodily harm."

"So I guess this wouldn't be the time to mention that I cut my wrists because of the ghost in my apartment?"

"You what?"

"It's not like I intended it. The ghost made me do it and then it possessed me after Clark found the body."

"How many times have you been possessed, exactly?"

She shrugged. "I stopped counting."

"Of course you did," Oliver muttered. "Is there anything else you forgot to tell me?"

"Probably. But it's not because I'm keeping it from you," she added quickly, catching the look he was giving her. "That's just all I remember off the top of my head."

Mollified that she wasn't intentionally keeping something back to spare him, Oliver shook his head and leaned back. "All things considered, I guess it could have been worse."

Chloe picked up one of the pillows and started toying with the corner. Her eyes fixed firmly on it when she spoke. "So...what exactly happened to you?"

"There's not much to tell," he admitted. "We were close to where my parent's plane went down. One night I was restless so I went up on the deck to look at the stars. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was being thrown across the deck by a storm. I tried to grab onto something, but the yacht was being tossed around too much. I hit my head on something and blacked out."

He paused, seemingly trying to decide how best to continue. Tossing the pillow aside, Chloe moved closer and took Oliver's hand in hers, silently encouraging him to go on.

(STORY BREAK)

Oliver coughed, spitting salt water from his mouth and nose. Every inch of him ached. It felt like he'd been shoved in a dryer set on spin cycle. Water lapped at his feet. With a groan, he managed to roll onto his back so that his face was no longer pressed into wet sand. Bright sunlight pierced his eyelids. He turned his head to the side.

His lungs and throat burned with every breath he took. Slowly, the pain in his body subsided to a dull, constant ache and he drifted to sleep.

When he woke again, it was night. Oliver pushed himself upright carefully and looked around. There was nothing to see. The beach extended as far as he could see in either direction. Moonlight glinted off the water. Slowly, he rose to his feet and turned to look behind him. A dense jungle met the beach about ten yards away.

"Where the hell am I?" he wondered aloud. His throat protested the act of speech.

Suddenly becoming aware of how hungry and thirsty he was, Oliver stumbled down the beach, searching for something to eat or drink. He wasn't sure how long he was out there, wandering around, before he came up on a stream, flowing down the beach to the ocean. He sank to his knees and greedily cupped the water into his hand, pouring it down his parched and raw throat.

When he had drunk his fill and was slightly steadier on his feet, he continued to search for something to eat. The sun had begun to rise by the time he found some fruit. He only hesitated for a moment before decided that he really didn't care if it was poisonous or not. He was hungry. Besides, it looked familiar.

For days, that was how he survived, scavenging for fruit and drinking water from the stream. Oliver lost count of how much time had passed. The days and nights blended together. At first, he tried to search for the others who had been on the yacht. But after not even finding debris, he'd given up the search. He was the only person on the island.

That night, as he lay on the beach, falling asleep, Oliver began to give up hope. It had been weeks since he'd been stranded. The odds that someone would find him were slim. He was probably the only to have survived.

As he lay there, his thoughts drifted to Chloe, to the last time they'd been together at the Star City docks. He hadn't wanted to leave. But he hadn't had a choice, not if he wanted to impress the board and run his company some day. He could still remember the feel of her body in his arms, warm and soft against him. His heart ached as he realized he would never see her again. But some part of him took comfort in the knowledge that she would always have some part of him. She would always have the necklace.

"Giving up so easily?"

Oliver's eye flew up and he sat bolt upright. Standing in front of him, in a light blue sundress, up to her ankles in the ocean, was Chloe.

"What...how did you get here?" he stammered.

She shrugged. "You tell me. It's your dream."

"Dream?" Oliver repeated, his heart sinking.

"What? Did you really think I just appeared out of nowhere? Sorry, to disappoint, but I haven't been around enough meteor rock to get a power. Not quite yet." Grinning at him, she walked out of the water and sat down beside him. "You never answered my question. Are you really gonna give up?"

"What's the point?" Oliver sighed. "No one's going to find me."

"So? That's no reason to give up. You can still live."

"On a deserted island? I'm lucky I survived this long. I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"Well starters, you can stop acting like you're going to be rescued. You've been thinking short term, Ollie. It sucks, but it looks like you're going to be here for a while."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" he asked quietly.

Chloe shrugged. "Build a shelter. Find some sort of knife. Learn to actually hunt for food. Has your time in Smallville taught you nothing about survival?"

"Fighting meteor freaks is slightly different," he scoffed.

"Then man who figured out how to stop Veronica, can figure out how to live on an island," Chloe said softly. "As long as you keep trying, there is a chance, no matter how small, that you will be found and we will be together again."

"You mean I can't settle for the hallucination version?"

She chuckled. "For a while, perhaps. But not forever. I am the voice in the back of your mind. I cannot substitute for the real Chloe. You'll just have to do everything you can to get back to her."

"Do you think I can do it?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. It matters what you believe."

With a small, sad smile, she stood and began walking back to the water. Oliver leapt to his feet and followed her, grabbing her arm and pulling her around, crashing his lips onto hers. And then she was gone.

Oliver woke with a start.

That wasn't the first dream of that nature he had. Whenever he felt like giving up, he had another one. In an attempt to survive, he made an crude knife out stone and used it cut down the fruit he found and small trees to create some kind of shelter from the elements.

Then, one day, he was sitting beside the stream, not long after washing up on the island. He was peering into the water, not really seeing anything, when something caught his eye. Curiosity got the better of him and he slid off the rock he'd been sitting on. The water came up to his knees. Regardless of the fact that he was soaking his only change of clothes, he bent down, reaching into the water up to his shoulder. His fingers brushed against the stone that had caught his attention and he quickly grabbed it before the current could wash it way.

Straightening up, Oliver examined the stone. It looked vaguely like an arrowhead.

A slow, almost smug, smile tugged at his lips. His father had gotten interested in archery back when he was still a kid. He'd loved it and he'd always been a good shot. Practicing had been one of the few times that he'd gotten his dad all to himself. After his parents died, he'd kept up with it as a way to stay close to them, even going to so far as to enter into competitions. There were medals he'd won somewhere in his parent's old house, where he'd been living with some of the staff until he got sent to Excelsior. By the time he got sent away to boarding school, Oliver had been so screwed up and angry at the world that he'd given up archery.

It looked like it was time to pick it up again.

Oliver slipped the stone into the pocket of his khakis and immediately set off into the trees.

(STORY BREAK)

"You really had a dream about me that saved your life?" Chloe asked when Oliver paused in the story.

A slight blush tinged his cheeks and he shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. I know it's kinda weird and definitely kinda cheesy, but realizing that if I tried, I might still have a chance to see you again, gave me a reason to try."

"It's not weird," she said softly, taking his hand in hers once more. "The night before you came back, I had a dream. It wasn't the first I had like that. I dreamt that we were standing on a beach, but you were behind me and I couldn't see you. You promised me that you'd be back some day and you told me that as long as I kept living that you'd live to and that I'd bring you back."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I've been having those dreams for a while. They always made me feel connected to you, like you were actually out there somewhere."

"It's good to know I wasn't the only one."

"So after you decided to pick up archery, what happened?"

Oliver shrugged. "Well for the next two years, or however long it was, I just survived. I practiced, became a better shot, learned how to navigate through the forests, how to move silently. I practically memorized the island. I built a more permanent shelter. Aside from a few mishaps, like the day I slipped on the rocks and split my shin open, it was pretty much the same thing. There's not really much to tell until the drug-runners showed up."

"So why don't you skip to that part?" Chloe suggested with a grin.

Rolling his eyes, Oliver continued his story.

(STORY BREAK)

Something was different. Oliver couldn't quite place it. He'd been running through the forest, searching for food, when something had changed. After being on the island for almost two years, if his count was right, he knew it better than he'd know his parents' home outside Star City. The sounds of the island seemed off somehow. Warily, he strung his bow and pulled an arrow from his quiver, fitting it to the string. His entire body tense, he listened intently.

At first, all he heard were the usual sounds of the island, the birds, the wind in the trees, even the ocean in the distance. Then, he heard it. The sound that did not belong. It was the sound of a sputtering engine, growing steadily closer.

For the first time in months, Oliver felt hope warm his chest. But he quickly pushed it away. There had been several false alarms over the two years he'd been on the island. The occasional plane sometimes flew by over head. Once, he even thought he heard someone call his name, but there had been no one there. Tightening his grip on his bow, he raced through the forest, toward the sounds.

He slid to a stop at the edge of the tree line, blending into the shadows. A boat had been run up onto the beach. It was old and rusty, the worse for wear. One side of the hull was cracked. As Oliver watched, two men jumped off the boat. They were dressed in cargo pants and black tank tops and clutched automatic weapons in their hands. He watched as they examined the hole in their ship. After a few minutes, they climbed back into the boat, reappearing seconds later with several other men. Half of the group branched off, heading into the forest not far from where Oliver stood, watching them. He didn't move and they passed by, unaware of his presence.

He stood there for several more minutes, watching the group that remained on the beach. They continued to assess the damage to the boat, hauling scraps off the boat to use for repair. Several men set to work covering the crack while the other men started a fire. It wasn't long before the rest of the group reappeared out of the forest. They carried fruit and wood. It seemed they were going to camp on the beach while the boat was being repaired.

Oliver retreated into the forest, back to the opposite side of the island where his shelter was. If he was careful and incredibly lucky, he'd be able to commandeer the ship and get off that damn island.

He returned to his hiding place every day, watching their progress. They spoke in heavily accented english, but he was able to make out some of their conversation. It seemed they were drug-runners. Oliver wasn't going to regret stranding them on the island.

It was late on the third day when they got boat repaired. When he heard the man he thought to be in charge say that they would leave in the morning, Oliver slipped back to his camp, gathering all the arrows he had, as well as the daggers he'd fashioned. He pulled on the hood he'd made from leaves to keep the sun out of his face when he was hunting, so that his face would be hidden on the off chance that they would know who he was.

Then he waited until nightfall. Only one or two of the drug-runners slept on the boat. Most of the preferred to stay on the beach in the cool air. Oliver up to the boat, careful to stay out of sight. He hauled himself up the side of the boat. Landing silently on the deck, he pulled his bow out it's protective sheath and strung it. He tucked a dagger into the hand the held the bow, then strung an arrow. His heart was racing slightly.

He picked his way cautiously across the deck to the hatch that led to the lower levels. There was no one in sight. As he descended the stairs, Oliver found himself grateful for the excellent night vision he had acquired over the past two years. It would definitely give him the advantage.

Pausing at the foot of the stairs, he listened for any tell tale signs that someone else was on the boat. Snoring echoed down the hall to his right. He smirked and moved toward the source of the sound.

The drug-runner was propped in a chair outside a door. His head lolled back, his mouth hanging open as he snored loudly. Rolling his eyes, Oliver slipped forward. As he got closer, her noticed that the chair seemed to be shoved against the door, keeping it closed. What could possibly be so important that they would send someone to guard it? Whatever it was, it might help him escape.

Oliver tapped the man on the shoulder, startling him awake. He smirked and slammed his elbow into the man's temple, successfully knocking him out.

Hauling the man out of the way, Oliver tied him hand and foot and gagged him, just in case he woke and tried to call for help. The door had swung open slightly of it's own accord. Oliver pushed it open with his foot, keeping his bow drawn, and slipped inside.

A young woman with flaming red hair, pale skin, and wide, scared eyes. She was bound to a chair, her hands behind her back. Her ankles was tied to the chair legs. A gag was tied cruelly about her head. At the sight of Oliver, she started twisting and making muffled, frantic noises, trying to escape. He lowered his bow, shoving the arrow back into his quiver, and help up his hands. She calmed slightly.

He slowly knelt in front of her and undid the gag.

"Who are you?" she whispered. Her voice was weak and afraid.

Oliver swallowed. He hadn't spoken aloud in two years. "A friend," he managed to croak. "Trust me. I'll get you out of here."

Slowly, trying not to startle her, he pulled out his dagger and cut through her restraints. Sliding the dagger back into the sheath he'd made from bark, he offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Where are we?" she asked.

He shrugged. "No clue," he muttered, trying to keep his voice down. He was already feeling the strain of speaking. "I've been stuck here for two years. What's your name?"

"Tess," she whispered.

"All right. I need you to stick close to me. I knocked out the guy sitting outside the room. But there may be someone else here. I need you to help me get him up to the deck so we can throw him overboard. Can you do that?"

She nodded sharply. Oliver led her out into the hall and together they managed to haul the unconscious drug-runner up the stairs. They left him lying on the deck while the searched the rest of the boat. It was empty save for them.

When he was sure that the boat was clear, Oliver threw the now conscious man off the ship and hurried back to the engine room. The shouts of the other men could be heard as they pulled away from the island, but they were already out of reach.

Sighing in relief, Oliver slumped over the steering wheel.

"Who are you?" Tess asked in amazement.

He just smiled at her.

(STORY BREAK)

"That's amazing," Chloe breathed when Oliver finally finished.

He just shrugged. "Not really. We called for help when were far enough away from the island. Or, Tess did," he corrected with a slight grin. "I could still barely speak. I wrote out my story for her so she could tell whoever answered who I was."

"Why was she on the ship?" Chloe asked curiously.

"She was a marine biology student," he explained. "She was part of a team in Fiji studying marine life. They were ambushed by the drug runners. They took her hostage. She was the only survivor."

"Oh my god. How long did they have her?"

"Two weeks."

"Is she all right?"

He nodded. "Scared, but all right. That's why I stuck so close to her when we got back. I felt bad that after being kidnapped that she was being drug through the media. Queen Industries might have been able to keep them from publishing for a few hours, but not from showing up with cameras. That's hard enough when you haven't been traumatized."

"And here I accused you of having a relationship with you when you were just being nice. Have I mentioned I'm sorry?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I know how it looked Chloe. I was pretty desperate to be around someone else. And after the way I acted when I saw you with Jimmy, you had every right to jump to conclusions. By the way," he added with a slight grin. "I'm sorry for that, too."

Chloe smiled. "So now that we know what happened to each other over the past two years, what do we do?"

"I have no idea," he admitted. "I guess we just have to wait and see how we've changed and get to know each other again."

"So, basically we hang out?"

"You up for that?"

At that moment, the buzzer went off, signifying the arrival of their food. Grinning, Chloe stood to get it. "Pick a movie. We'll spend the evening hanging out. Know any good party games?"

Author's Note: All right. So, since I feel like I kind of been dragging things along, a little hint of what is to come. Things get just a little more complicated when Chloe has to cover a QI Gala for the Register.


	7. Chapter 6

Title: Gift of Fate

Rating: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

Summary: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

Warning: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

Spoilers: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

Author's Note: I haven't gotten many reviews for the past few chapters, which is honestly a little depressing. Please review, people. I'm going a little out of my comfort zone here, so all the encouragement I can get is much appreciated. I am not afraid to hold chapters hostages if need be. *shakes threatening finger*

Chapter 6

They soon fell into a pattern. It was slightly awkward at first, pretending that they were just friends, but then it became natural. They spent the days going about their business, Oliver heading into Queen Industries to prove that he was capable of running the company, and Chloe going to the Register. She was proving herself rather quickly to be an adept reporter now that she wasn't focused on helping Clark all the time. In the evenings they usually did something together, trying to re-establish their relationship and get to know one another. Often, they just sat in the living room, both working on their respective paperwork, making conversation as they did.

Oliver discovered that Chloe was was a little more closed off, a little more wary of her surroundings. He guessed it was a natural byproduct of living in Smallville and being attacked every other week. She was definitely more world weary than before, and slightly more jaded. But she was still Chloe. He loved to watch her pouring over research for an article.

Pinpointing how Oliver had changed was a little more difficult. He'd always been more than one person depending on the circumstances. It used to amaze Chloe the way he would change as he walked into Smallville High. She'd even been able to tell a slight difference when he called from Star City. Now, those different aspects of himself seemed to be even more separate than before. He often looked over her shoulder as she worked and, being the kind of reporter she was, she was usually working on something that dealt with crime and injustice. Every time Oliver read her research and her articles, he got this strange look on his face and grew unusually quiet and pensive afterwards.

Despite the obvious changes and the undetermined repercussions on their relationship, things had been easy between them. They'd fallen back into an easy, open friendship.

Almost too easy, Oliver muttered to himself.

He and Chloe were sitting side by side on the couch as she poured over the information on her newest article. It honestly bothered him a little that he was finding it so easy to be just friends with her. Oliver knew that his feelings for Chloe weren't waning, as evidenced by how hard it was sometimes not to kiss her. (Just the other day she'd fallen asleep on the couch and when he lifted her into his arms, his heart had constricted and it had taken all of his self control not to kiss her.) But he was worried that she didn't feel that way anymore. It seemed so much easier for her. He wondered just how much damage he had done with his insecurities.

It was hard for him to admit that he was insecure. That wasn't something he was used to feeling. But he had been gone for two years and he'd had a lot of time to freak himself out about what would happen when he got back. Those had been some of his worst nightmares. Even though he was back and it seemed that everything was working out, even that he and Chloe were working out their relationship, Oliver couldn't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. Happiness in his life had never lasted long.

The elevator buzzer sounded throughout the apartment. Chloe looked up from her work and glanced at Oliver, her eyebrows raised. "Are you expecting someone?"

"I don't think so," he said slowly, rising to his feet and moving to the screen that was connected to the elevator feed. He hit the button and the feed flickered to life. He groaned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked from the couch.

"I forgot that Tess wanted to stop by this week. She's been having trouble getting over the whole thing and I'm the only one she'll talk to. I completely forgot. I meant to warn you."

Chloe grinned reassuringly at him. "Don't worry. Do you want me to make myself scarce?"

"No," he said quickly. "I want you to be here for this. She needs to trust you because you're part of my life and if she wants to be part of it, she's going to have to get used to you being around. Because I'm choosing you over her every time."

Touched by his words, she sighed and smile softly. "And you'd be miserable if you had to make that choice. But thanks for the thought."

"I mean it," he protested. "You're the one that's my friend. As much as I want to help Tess, I don't want anything else to come between us."

"What if I help you help her?" Chloe suggested.

His face lit up. "Really?"

Though she wouldn't admit it, she was a little apprehensive about meeting Tess. It had been so obvious in the pictures how the other woman felt about Oliver. Over the past few days, it had been increasingly difficult to keep from throwing herself at Oliver and resuming their romantic relationship where they'd left off. He was handling it a lot better than she was and she couldn't help but worry that because she'd been such an idiot about Tess and the whole situation with Jimmy that she'd screwed everything up. Somehow, she didn't think having Tess hanging around was going to help matters, but if he wanted to help her, Chloe wasn't going to stop him.

So she nodded reassuringly and said, "Definitely. Are you going to let her up?"

Oliver chuckled and hit the button to the elevator. A few moments later the doors slid open and Tess walked into the room. She seemed nervous, but she smiled slightly when she saw Oliver.

"Sorry to stop by without calling," she said softly.

"It's fine," Oliver assured her. "Is everything all right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I just can't get used to the idea that they're not out there any more. I keep seeing them everywhere I go."

"That can take some getting used to," he admitted. "But it will get better." Noting that the nervous look hadn't left her face, Oliver gently took her arm and guided her toward the couch. "This is Chloe. She's my best friend and considering the number of times she's been captured, I thought she might be able to help."

Tess raised her eyebrows slightly. "How many times are talking about?"

"I stopped counting after the deranged police officer buried me alive so he could rescue me and look like a hero," Chloe said, shrugging slightly. "And that was five years ago."

"Do I even want to know why it happens so often?" Tess whispered, clearly wondering if spending time around Chloe was dangerous.

"Comes with living in the town she grew up in," Oliver laughed. "Chloe herself isn't dangerous. Just a trouble magnet."

"Like you should be the one to talk," Chloe scoffed. "You were barely in Smallville a month before you got into trouble. It took me years before my first near death experience. So what's that say about you?" she challenged.

He just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We both made it out in one piece. And that's all that matters."

"You're just trying to save your manhood," she teased.

Tess watched their verbal sparring with interest, careful to keep her face passive. The rapport Oliver and Chloe shared did not please her. She had thought that she and Oliver shared something. The way he had kept his arm about her as they waited on the boat for rescuers to come to him had been tender and caring. He'd whispered to her as loudly as his disused voice would let him, probably straining his throat in the process, just to keep the nightmares away. When they'd finally reached land again, he hadn't let her go, hadn't left her side, despite the hoops they had to jump through to get from place to place. He'd stayed there beside her until she was taken to a hotel where she could rest. She'd run into him a few times since. At the press conference and a few other times when they were taking care of some of the details of their rescue. Each time, he'd been genuinely happy to see her and had spent the entire time at her side.

Now this girl was suddenly taking all of his attention. Oliver's eyes were sparkling as they continued to duel back and forth. Tess didn't know who Chloe was or what she meant to Oliver, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

Laughing, Chloe turned to Tess. "I swear, my life isn't as crazy as it sounds," she promised. "But it has made for some good stories."

"That's an understatement," Oliver snorted.

Chloe shot him a look. "Tess, would you like some coffee? I find myself in need of a refill if I'm going to have to keep dealing with Oliver's rapier wit."

"No thanks." Tess forced a smile onto her face.

Not quite oblivious to the strained nature of the other woman's smile, Chloe grabbed her coffee cup off the table and moved to the kitchen. She wasn't sure she like the way Tess had been looking at her as she and Oliver were talking. But she forced herself to swallow her anxieties and give Oliver the benefit of the doubt. Still, deep inside herself, she couldn't help but fear that Tess would eventually change Oliver's feelings in her favor and it scared Chloe more than she was willing to admit.

Sighing deeply in an attempt to calm herself, Chloe leaned against the counter and waited for the coffee to finish percolating while she ignored the low voices issuing from the living room.

"So what do you think of Chloe?" Oliver asked with a grin.

Tess slowly perched on the edge of one of the chairs. She wanted to sit on the couch beside Oliver, but since Chloe's papers were spread out on the table and her laptop was pushed under the couch, she figured it wasn't the best idea.

"She seems nice," Tess hedged. "If all the stories you two told are true, she's led an interesting life."

"That's for sure," Oliver agreed. "But it's part of what makes her so amazing."

Shifting on the edge of her seat, she asked, "How did you two meet, exactly?"

His grin broadened. "I got sent to Smallville to keep me out of trouble. Chloe showed me around the school. She always saw me, beneath the playboy facade."

"So you two were close?"

Oliver paused at that. How was he supposed to answer that? He knew that Tess was interested in him as more than a friend, and telling her that he and Chloe had been dating, past tense, would give her the idea that he was a free man. Telling her that they were dating, present tense, would mean defining their relationship in a way they were actually trying to avoid. So instead, he simply said, "We still are."

She tensed at that. Oliver and Chloe were either dating or close to take their friendship to the next level.

"So was she your first call when you came back from the dead?" Tess teased, hoping to find out how close they were.

Again he hesitated. Figuring she'd hear some version of the story sooner of later, he decided just to tell her the truth. "Actually, I took the jet out to Kansas as soon as the doctors cleared me. Chloe was my first real friend. She was the one person I wanted to see when I got back. The look on her face when she opened the door was priceless." Though not necessarily in a good way, he added to himself. The shocked look of disbelief on Chloe's face when the first saw each other had nearly killed him.

He flew out to see her? Tess repeated to herself. All right, next question. "What's she doing out here?"

"She's going to school at SCU," he explained, again, dancing around the truth of the matter. "And since I could use a friendly face around here with all the third degree I've been getting, she agreed to come out early and stay with me. Plus, it's been two years since we've seen each other. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"She must be a really good friend," Tess observed weakly.

"The best," Oliver said fervently.

"What's the best?" Chloe asked, walking back into the room with a fresh cup of coffee.

"No one," Oliver said quickly. He grinned at her as she sat down beside him. Tess watched in disapproval, noticing that he automatically shifted, not closer, but so that he was more or less facing her. Chloe set her mug on the table and picked up several folders.

"What exactly are you working on?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing interesting," she sighed. "Just a really boring piece on the traffic problems downtown."

Oliver glanced over his shoulder. Whatever the two of them were looking at, caused him to frown slightly.

Annoyed at being out of the loop, Tess shifted closer to the edge of her seat. "What's so interesting?"

"Nothing. Which is what is so interesting," Oliver joked. "I'm slightly impressed by the fact that Chloe's managed to sift through all this. I think I'd have fallen asleep."

Chloe laughed. "I bet you look at more boring stuff than I do at QI."

"And I often fall asleep," he pointed out. "It doesn't go over well with the board."

"I would assume so," Tess said. "Maybe you should follow Chloe's lead and drink more coffee."

"Oh, no," Oliver laughed. "Coffee makes me jittery."

A loud beep echoed through the apartment. It was the alarm on Chloe's phone. She was supposed to have her article submitted in just a few hours and the alarm was to remind her of the deadline. Tess started violently at the sound and stared around, as though expecting someone to jump out of the shadows and grab her.

Oliver jumped up and put his arms around Tess's shoulders while Chloe scrambled to shut it off. "I'm so sorry. It's just my phone."

Tess shook slightly. "It's all right," Oliver said soothingly. "There's no one there."

"I know," she whispered. "I just can't help it."

Chloe bit her lip, gazing at Tess sympathetically. "I know what that's like. It'll be a while before you stop freaking out over the littlest things. It's just a process you have to let happen. Ollie and I were kidnapped around spring break the year before he left. It took us weeks to get past it. We both woke up with nightmares. He was incredibly jumpy for a long time after."

"I kept expected them to jump out of the shadows," he added softly. "I couldn't believe that it was actually over. But it passes," he added, his voice a little louder than before. "You just have to give it time."

Tess nodded shakily, leaning into his side and resting her head against his shoulder. "I can still feel them watching me."

"That's gonna take a while to go away," Oliver whispered. "Whenever it gets bad, you can call me or stop by."

"You can have my number, too," Chloe volunteered. "In case Ollie isn't available."

She nodded again. "All right. Sorry about this. I'm not usually such a headcase."

"Everyone has a right to be a little neurotic after they've been abducted," Oliver chuckled. "It's fine." He glanced at the clock and grimaced. "Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to cut this short. I have a gala to attend for Queen Industries."

Tess abruptly stood, her face becoming an impassive mask. "I should be going anyway."

"Do you want me to call a cab?"

She shook her head. "No. I think I need to walk. Thanks for everything. It was nice to meet you, Chloe."

"Likewise," Chloe replied, smiling reassuringly. "It will get better. Just give it time."

Nodding wordlessly, Tess spun on her heel and left the penthouse.

The smile slid off Chloe's face and she turned worriedly to Oliver. "Are you sure she's all right? She looks really shook up."

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe she just needs more time. You and I are a little more used to this than the average person," he pointed out.

"True," she admitted. "But I'm still worried."

He sighed deeply. "Me too. But there's only so much we can do."

"I still wish I could do more."

"Hopefully you'll be able to help her. I think talking to another girl will help."

"But she know you and trusts you. You'll get more out of her."

"Maybe," he shrugged, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of Tess's welfare resting on his shoulders. In an attempt to avoid the subject, he gestured back toward his room. "I need to go shower and change or I'm going to be late for the gala and, as the board has reminded me multiple times, that being late does not make a good impression."

She almost laughed. He was trying so hard to prove himself. "Then I better not keep you. I have to finish this article anyway, so you go pretty yourself up."

Clutching his heart as though wounded, he shot her a mock offended look. "I'll have you know that I am always pretty."

"Just keep telling yourself that."

Chuckling under his breath, he disappeared down the hall. Chloe bent over the research she had done and began typing up her article. Barely two sentences had gotten written when her phone rang.

Sighing, she picked it up. "Sullivan."

"Do you have an evening dress in your closet?" her editor barked without preamble.

She pulled her phone away from her ear, checking the screen to make sure that she was hearing who she thought she was hearing. Convinced it was indeed her editor calling, she pressed the phone back to her ear. "Why?" she asked slowly.

"Because the girl that usually covers the society events is out sick and we need someone to cover the hospital benefit gala. And you're it, kid."

"Why me? Isn't there someone else who'd be be better suited to this?" she almost pleaded.

"I've seen you in your element, Sullivan. Now I need out of it," her editor said firmly. "Now do you have a dress or not."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I do." It was in Metropolis. So hopefully Clark wouldn't mind speeding it over to her.

"Do you have a press pass?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I expect great things from you, Sullivan. Turn in the traffic article next week. This is due by Saturday night. Good luck kid."

She rolled her eyes. "Thank you, sir."

As soon as she hung up, she groaned and fell back against the couch, automatically dialing Clark.

"Hey, Chloe," he answered cheerily. "What's up?"

"I need a favor," she said sheepishly.

"Are you all right? I something wrong?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I just need you to get a dress out of my apartment. I have to go to this gala for the Register. I didn't know about it until the last minute."

"No problem. Which one is it?" He sounded relieved that it was nothing worse.

"Blue dress in a black garment bag. And would you mind grabbing my silver heals, too?"

"No problem."

"Just drop it off in my room. I have to take a shower."

"All right," Clark said.

"Thank you so much. You're a life saver."

"That is the job," he chuckled.

(STORY BREAK)

Oliver was already bored and he'd only been at the gala for thirty minutes. The event hadn't actually started. They were only half an hour in and people were still trickling in. He knew that things wouldn't actually start for at least another fifteen minutes. He was not looking forward to making smalltalk for the evening.

Sighing heavily, he turned and started wandering the edge of the room. He smiled and murmured a few greetings. Most people returned the greeting, eyeing him speculatively. When he'd attended events previously, as he'd been forced to do by his guardian, he'd made no secret of the fact that he did not want to be there. He'd made a habit of being a detached jerk. And his previous behavior in his personal life hadn't endeared him to anyone. He had a feeling that once things got started, every conversation he had would center around what had happened on the island. That was not going to be fun.

The gala was about to actually start when he saw her. She was dressed in a simple blue gown that flowed elegantly about her. Her hair was curled and she was wearing more make-up than usual. She was gazing about nervously. As she turned, Oliver saw that she was also wearing a press pass.

Smirking to himself, he made his way across the room to where she stood. She didn't even notice him coming.

Chloe stared around the room, feeling distinctly out of place. At least the other times she'd had to attend an event like this Clark or Lois had been there with her. A man appeared on the stage at the front of the room. Chloe pulled out her recorder and switched it on as the man explained what the benefit was gala was specifically for. Apparently, they were trying to raise money for a new wing to the children's hospital.

As the man walked off the stage, Chloe shut off her recorder and slipped it back into her clutch. Now all she had to do was mingle. That was not going to be fun.

"Do I know you?"

She froze. She knew that voice. Biting her lip, Chloe turned around and looked up at Oliver sheepishly.

"Hi."

Smirking, he arched an eyebrow. "That's all I get? I'm hurt. What are you doing here?"

She picked up the press pass from around her neck and held it up for him to see. "I'm working. What did you think I was doing?"

"Stalking me," he teased.

"If I was stalking you, I would have done of better job of staying hidden. And why would I need to stalk you?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "I live with you."

"Which begs the question. Why didn't you tell me about this assignment? I could have given you a ride. It's not as if I'm against associating with reporters or anything."

Chloe glared at him. "I didn't get the assignment until last minute." She lowered her voice so that no one would hear her. "I had to get Clark to run me my dress from Metropolis."

"That doesn't explain why you didn't tell me when you did get the call." He was enjoying making her squirm.

"What was I supposed to do?" she hissed, now thoroughly annoyed. "Burst in on you while you were in the shower?"

Oliver had to force himself not to picture that or dwell on how much he wished Chloe had done just that. Instead he decided to change the subject. "Well since you're here, would you care to dance?"

"Dance?" Chloe repeated. That was not what she'd expected.

"You are familiar with the concept, right?" he teased.

"I am, but why do you want to dance with me?"

"Maybe because you're my friend and probably the one person here who doesn't have some kind of agenda concerning me," he suggested lightly.

Chloe frowned slightly. Despite the flippant tone, she could see that Oliver really believed that. She was the first to admit, having spent as much time as she had around the Luthors, that there probably plenty of people at the gala to whom the statement applied. But there had to be at least a few people there who actually liked Oliver.

"All right," she said, reluctantly, knowing that he was going to pout endlessly if she said no. "But you better not step on my feet."

Chuckling, Oliver tugged her out onto the dance floor. "Have a little faith. I didn't step on your toes at prom, did I?"

They moved in time to the music. Oliver was acutely aware of her hand on his arm and the feel of the fabric of her dress, gliding over the skin of her back beneath his hand. He couldn't bring herself to speak. There was something about the moment that seemed fragile and precious. For a moment, he felt like he was back at prom, back when everything had been so much simpler. He could remember, as though it had been yesterday. They had spent almost the entire wrapped in each other's arms, swaying slightly, stealing kisses.

As he looked down at the woman in his arms, he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and kiss her. But that would cross a line they weren't ready to cross. He was still worried that she would walk away from him. And until he got over that, he knew he couldn't cross the line between friendship and something more. But he couldn't stop himself from wishing he could.

Chloe found herself unable to look away from Oliver. He was gazing at her intensely, something brewing deep in his dark eyes. She felt her body begin to heat up under his scrutiny. His hand was burning against her back. Neither of them noticed that they had stopped moving and were standing in the middle of the dance floor.

Unconsciously, Chloe stepped the slightest bit closer, pressing her body to his a little bit harder. His gaze became more intense. Oliver slide his hand up her back, just slightly and closed the distance between them, almost infinitesimally.

Then the song ended and the moment broke. Chloe stepped away, her face flaming red. "I have to go get some quotes for this article. I'll see you later."

"Do you need a ride home?" Oliver asked weakly.

She shook her head. "I don't have to stay the whole time. Just for the important stuff. I'm going to leave early to get a head start on the article. I'll just see you tomorrow."

Oliver watched helplessly as Chloe disappeared into the crowd. He wasn't sure what had come over the two of them, but he did know that they had taken a major step back.


	8. Chapter 7

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic T_wist of Fate_, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: So it seems threatening is the way to go if you want reviews, lol. Just kidding! Things are heating up now, and as I said before, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone here, so as much support as I can get is much appreciated_

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

Definitely a major step back, Oliver grumbled to himself, a week after the benefit.

Whatever progress he and Chloe had made toward getting past their problems, had been completely obliterated when they'd let their hormones overrule them. If he hadn't lost his head and tried to kiss her, everything would have been fine.

Since she'd almost literally fled into the crowd, Chloe had done an excellent job of avoiding him. She claimed that it was just late nights at the Register, a couple of emergencies for Clark. And while he was willing to believe that was part of what was taking up her time, he doubted that it was an adequate explanation for why she'd so skillfully avoided him, even when he stayed awake half the night waiting for her.

The only thing working in his favor was the fact that it was currently Saturday and Chloe hadn't managed to slip out of the apartment yet. He was going to do everything he could to fix things between him and Chloe. He was going to spend the day proving to her that they could just be friends so that at some point they could be more than that again.

* * *

><p>Frowning, Chloe bent over her computer. It was Saturday morning and as much as she wanted to relax, she had way too much to do. Oliver was at an early meeting.<p>

She hadn't seen much of Oliver since the hospital benefit gala. The article had gone over well, thanks in part to a couple of quotes Oliver had given her the day after. Her editor had been more than impressed that she'd managed to get coherent sentences from the city's former wild child. Chloe had been indignant on Oliver's behalf.

Since then, however, she'd been given more articles which had let to several light nights. Clark had called almost every day, needing help, making her nights even later. On top of that, a story had crossed her desk a few days before and her weird-o-meter had kicked into high gear. She was actually anxious to talk to Oliver about it.

As if on cue, the elevator rattled to life and Oliver walked into the living room a few moments later, already loosening his tie. He grinned at her as he passed on his way to his bedroom. A few minutes later, he reappeared dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, looking determined.

"How was the meeting?" she asked when he joined her at the table.

"Boring and long," he sighed. "Nothing out of the usual. We need to talk."

She raised an eyebrow and looked up. "Something wrong?"

"You've been avoiding me ever since the gala," he said pointedly.

Chloe groaned quietly. She'd been slightly worried he'd see it that way. It had been awkward for a while, but honestly she'd expected something like that to happen. They'd been seriously dating and now they were trying not to. Just because they had good reasons to step back for the sake of their relationship, didn't mean it was going to be easy to pretend there was nothing between them. It was only to be expected that there would be some slip ups. She'd easily gotten over it.

"Oliver, I swear I wasn't. I pulled a couple of all nighters for Clark and my editor was seriously impressed with my article on the Gala thanks to the quotes you gave me. He's kept me ridiculously busy. I promise, I haven't been avoiding you. I actually kind of need your help."

Feeling more relieved and relaxed than he had in days, he cocked his head and moved closer. "With what?" he asked, welcoming the change of subject.

She bit her lip and her gaze flickered back to the computer screen. "Do you remember when I first got here how I thought I was seeing connections when there weren't any?"

Oliver frowned. "You're going to have to be a little more specific here. What do you mean that you were seeing connections?"

"Between the two murder cases," she explained. "I was searching through the Register, trying to get a feel for it and I came across two recent murders that I thought might be connected. I brushed it off thinking I'd just spent too much time around Clark, dealing with the craziness in Smallville and that I was seeing connections that weren't there because I was used to looking for them. Now, I'm not so sure I was imagining things."

Oliver stared at her for a moment. He remembered that conversation. It had happened the first night they'd been in Star City, right before they'd talked about what had happened during the two years he was on the island. "What did you find?" he asked curiously.

"Another body was found a couple of nights ago. Since I'm on the city crime beat, the information crossed my desk. There wasn't much there, so I hacked into the police database and pulled up the reports on all three cases-"

"You do realize that's illegal, right?" he teased.

"Yes, I realize it's illegal," she snapped. "Now stop interrupting. I compared the cases. The people themselves have little in common, except that they have no family and were jobless. There was no one to miss them. The bodies were all dumped in remote locations, with absolutely no trace of what had happened. They were all naked and the only sign of trauma were needle marks. The symptoms don't match any drugs in the databases, so the police think that they've gotten their hands on some new designer drug. But it leaves no trace. They've been ruled accidental overdoses."

"And you don't think they are," he concluded.

"What kind of druggie gets butt naked to get high?"

"What's the explanation the police are using?"

"That they were robbed after ODing. According to the autopsy, there are signs that the bodies were moved after death. But why take all the clothes? Shoes and jewelry I can understand. But the underwear? Who wants recycled underwear?"

"Good point," Oliver mused.

"There's more going on here," Chloe said, gazing at the information on her computer. "I just don't know what. Yet."

Oliver groaned. "I don't think I like the sound of that."

"Why not?" she challenged. "It's just like tracking down meta-humans."

"And how many times did that result in a near death experience?"

She didn't answer.

Knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop her, Oliver sighed. "Just be careful, okay?"

She grinned at him. "Aren't I always?"

"I'm not even going to answer that," he chuckled.

"It's kind of sad," Chloe said softly. "There's so much crime out there that the police don't have the time to really look into anything."

Oliver leaned forward, a pensive look on his face. "Was Metropolis this bad?"

"Before Clark started the whole superhero thing, it was pretty bad. Still is," she added.

"Maybe Star City needs a hero of it's own."

"Yeah, but who?" Chloe asked. "The few meta-humans I've met who are willing to use their powers for good like Clark is have their homes in other places. And those cities need them just as much as Star City needs someone. And I can't exactly put an ad in the paper."

"Hopefully some day, someone will step up," he murmured.

"Here's hoping," she sighed.

Trying to lighten the serious mood that had descended on the two of them, Oliver changed the subject. "I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day exploring Star City. You've only been here once and we didn't see much. And since we've been back we've both been busy-"

"Avoiding each other?" Chloe teased.

"Funny," he said, giving her a look. "Anyway, it should be relatively safe to wander around the city now that everyone's got used to the idea that I'm not dead. And I'd really like to show you my home, especially since you'll be here for school."

Chloe laughed. "Give me a minute to change and we'll go."

Smiling, Oliver watched her disappear down the hall, smiling broadly, completely relieved that there was nothing wrong with their friendship.

But the moment she was gone, the smile slid off his face and he turned to her computer. Ever since he'd gotten back, he'd noticed the higher crime rate, not just in Star City. While he was on the island, he'd promised himself that he would stop wasting his life. He'd started that in Smallville, with Chloe's help. It had mostly been to be near her, not for any other reason, that he'd helped track down the meta-humans. He'd gotten some small satisfaction from helping others. But that had only been a side effect of being near Chloe.

Since staying on the island, he'd realized just how lucky he was, despite the tragedies that had occurred during his life. He'd done a lot of stupid things. Saving Tess had not only given him a rush, but had also given him a sense of accomplishment and wholeness that he hadn't felt in a long time, something completely different than what he felt when he was with Chloe.

Clark was making a difference in Metropolis. Granted, he had superpowers and was practically invulnerable. But Chloe had been fighting criminals and meta-humans for years. She didn't have any powers. She often got hurt. But just as often she out smarted the bad guy. Maybe it was time he did the same.

It was something he hadn't thought of before. But it was an appealing idea. And he knew he wasn't the first regular joe to try it. Now if only he could work out the logistics.

* * *

><p>"So what do you think of Star City?" Oliver asked.<p>

He'd shown Chloe all of his favorite sights of the city. They'd gone to the museums, walked through one of the many city parks that his parents used to take him to, and gone window shopping downtown. Chloe had been fascinated by the city, which had warmed Oliver's heart.

Their last stop had been SCU. Chloe had thought it would be a good idea to know how to get there from his penthouse. They'd stopped to eat at a little restaurant just off campus and were currently on their way back to Queen Tower.

When she didn't answer immediately, Oliver elbowed her lightly in the side. "Come on. What did you think?"

"It's amazing," she said with a laugh. "So much brighter and cleaner than Metropolis. I think I'm going to like staying here."

"Awesome."

Chloe leaned into his side, wrapping an arm around his waist. "What was it like growing up here?"

"No different than anywhere else," he shrugged. "I spent most of my time at the house just outside the city. But my parents brought me into the city with them all the time. Mom used to love sitting next to that fountain I showed you earlier."

"I bet you spent a lot of time at the beach," she teased.

Oliver chuckled. "Not really. My parents died when I was ten. I wasn't old enough to go to the beach by myself and they were generally pretty busy. The staff took me every now then, but they all had jobs to do. By the time I was old enough to spend the day at the beach by myself, I was at Excelsior. But I did spend a lot of time goofing off during the summer."

"I usually spent my summers doing odd jobs. Your way sounds much better."

"Yes, but you were definitely more productive."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Like that means anything to a teenager. I used to resent never being able to go with Lois when she went to see the general. I'd love to go see the places she went to."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?" he asked.

"Ireland," she answered without hesitation. "I'd love to go to Ireland. There's so much history there and it's so beautiful and my dad's got family there. Have you ever been?"

He nodded. "Once with my parents and then a couple of years ago with a friend for Spring Break. I'd like to go back though. I was too little to really remember the first time, and my friend and I spent the entire time partying. We didn't exactly go see the sights."

"So what did you do?" Chloe asked with sly grin.

"You really don't want to know," he laughed. "I really don't want to be the one to tell you."

"All right," she pouted.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "You know enough about my more irresponsible days without me telling you more stories."

"What happened about being open and honest with each other?" she challenged.

"I was referring to the past two years. Like I said, you know enough about the person I used to be. If you find out anything else you might go running for the hills."

"Nothing else has sent me running scared. I doubt a few indiscretions would."

He grinned down at her. "Well, you can never be too careful."

A scream suddenly cut through the night, overriding whatever snarky remark Chloe had been about to make. They stopped short and looked down the street in time to see a young woman being dragged into an alley way. Without bothering to stop and think about it, Oliver took off after them, Chloe close behind him.

As they drew closer, they could hear the woman pleading to be let go and calling for help. Oliver sprinted into the alley. The mugger had the woman pressed up agains the wall, a knife to her throat, Without thinking, Oliver grabbed him and tossed him across the alley. Chloe ran up to the woman and, after making sure she was okay, helped her out of the alley and told her to call the police before rushing back to see if Oliver needed help.

He didn't.

With one swift punch, he knocked the man out. His lip was split. The mugger had obviously gotten one good punch in.

"Call 911," Oliver panted, wiping the blood off his chin.

"She already did," Chloe said. She walked over to him and examined him closely. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. He was a lousy fighter." He attempted to grin at her, but winced slightly when the gesture pulled at the bruised muscles in his face.

A few minutes later, two patrol cars showed up. The woman was still standing outside the alley, her arms wrapped around herself, crying softly. Paramedics came to tend to her. Chloe and Oliver gave their statements. The police hauled the mugger into one car and an officer gave Oliver and Chloe a ride home in the other.

When they got back up to the penthouse, Chloe went straight to the freezer and made Oliver an icepack. She gently pressed it to his jaw. Smiling slightly in thanks, he covered her hand with his. She slid her hand out from beneath his.

"That was pretty brave," she said with a smile. "And slightly awesome."

"Thanks," he said.

"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah. He only hit me once. But it's going to fun explaining the bruise to the board."

"I'm sure they'll understand. It's not as if they can fault you for trying to do the right thing."

At her words, he frowned slightly. "That used to be one of the safest parts of town. The officer I was talking to told me that crime's gone up all across the city. That you can't go anywhere after nightfall without being in danger. What the hell has happened to world?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," Chloe whispered. "I just don't know. But it's happening everywhere. At least Metropolis has Clark. But the cities with heroes are few and far between. I'm not sure what the rest of the world is supposed to do. There aren't enough heroes to go around."

"What if there were more?" he asked slowly. "What if someone else stepped up to protect Star City?"

"Then I guess the problem would be solved. But who's going to do it?"

"What if I do it?"

Chloe's eyes grew round. "What?"

"It's something I've been thinking about for a while, but I got this particular idea this morning when we were talking," Oliver admitted. He dropped the icepack and began pacing back and forth. "When I was in Smallville, I thought that the hero stuff should be left to Clark. Every time we got involved beyond research someone got hurt. But I managed to save Tess and stop the mugging. I think I could do some real good out there."

"So you plan on beating criminals up with your bare fists?"

He shrugged. "I was actually planning on using archery to protect the city."

"You want to fight crime by chasing down bad guys with a bow and arrow?" she asked incredulously.

He smiled weakly. "Robin Hood was my childhood idol."

"Ollie, you took down one guy. Fighting the criminals of Star City is going to be completely different, and incredible dangerous."

"I know that," he assured her. "I'm a decent fighter and I'm good at archery, but I'm going to need a lot of training and probably some gadgets before I start. But I feel like this is something I need to do. Chloe, I got a second chance. A lot of people don't. The murder victims you've been investigating didn't. If I hadn't been out there tonight, that woman could have really been hurt."

Chloe gazed at him intently. "You really want to do this, don't you?"

"I think it's the right thing to do. I think I can really make a difference."

"I'm not talking you out of this, am I?"

"No. I understand if you're worried. I know what I'm planning is dangerous and I'm not Clark. But you've seen the papers. Someone is doing this in Gotham without the powers. I know I'm going to get hurt. I won't force you to help me or even to be part of this. But I'm doing it. It just feels right."

Chloe gazed at him carefully. She'd never seen him so determined and suddenly the strange looks he'd gotten every time he saw what she was working on made sense. "All right," she sighed. "But you're not doing this alone. I'm with you the whole way."

Oliver grinned from ear to ear. "So do this make you my sidekick?"

She smiled at him. "I guess so."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: So what do you think? Oliver's discovered the hero within, lol.<em>


	9. Chapter 8

Title: Gift of Fate

Rating: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

Summary: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

Warning: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

Spoilers: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this up. It was just sitting there waiting for me to edit it, but I had two tests and an essay to take care of first and by then when I got around to it, I ended up re-writing the last half. Anyway, hope you like it. Review like your life depends on it because mind kinda does._

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

There was an almost sickening thud as Oliver's back hit the mat. Chloe winced. With a groan, Oliver picked himself up. Ever since he'd come up with the idea of becoming a superhero, he'd thrown himself into training and preparing. He'd outfitted a spare room as a gym, complete with targets. As soon as the gym was set up, he'd hired personal trainers to teach him different methods of fighting and to build up his strength, agility (he was really fond of yoga), and stamina.

It had been almost two months. Classes started at SCU in less than a week. Chloe had been surprised to discover that Oliver was in some of her classes. Apparently he'd forgotten to mention that going to college was part of the conditions of running his company. They actually started classes in just a couple of hours.

Oliver was in the middle of an intense work out with one of his teachers. Chloe couldn't remember what exactly he was learning. She'd been there every step of the way. But sometimes, it was hard to watch Oliver get his ass kicked. It was happening less and less as time went on and of late, he'd been the one kicking ass. He'd already been a decent fighter courtesy of his trouble making days and he was a quick learner But she didn't think she'd ever get used to seeing Oliver sprawled on the ground, groaning, even if it did afford an amazing view.

It had gotten hard to ignore the sexual tension she was feeling. Trying to be a supportive friend, she'd attended all of his training sessions. The sight of him in sweat pants or gym shorts, his chest bare and glistening with sweat, his muscles flexing and straining under the pressures of training, had stirred something inside her. He was really an impressive male specimen.

Chloe attempted to distract herself by looking over the schematics for Oliver's latest bow. He'd come up with the idea to make one that collapsed in on itself for easy transport. It was a little impractical to think that he would be able effectively patrol the city with a full sized bow. It would make fighting in close quarters difficult, too. From what she could tell-she didn't know that much about engineering-it looked like a solid design.

The sound of a fist landing on flesh made her grimace. She glanced up in time to see Oliver stumble backward, one hand clutching his ribs. He ducked a kick aimed for his head and managed to catch the other man in the gut. While the trainer was doubled over, Oliver kicked his feet out from under him.

"That's enough for today," the trainer said. "Well done."

Grinning, Oliver helped him to his feet. The two men put away all of the equipment they had used and then the trainer left. Oliver grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off his face. Chloe glanced up at him as he did. He shot her a grin as he moved to the targets and picked up his favorite bow. Trying to suppress the excitement bubbling up inside her, she set aside the papers she was looking at so that she could watch. There was something fascinating about watching him work a bow.

When Oliver had said he was good with a bow, it had been a major understatement. Despite the fact that he'd had to reteach himself on a makeshift bow he was pretty amazing. And he was getting better fast.

Archery was the one thing Oliver didn't have a teacher for. Since it was basically going to be his calling card and his main method of defending himself, no one could know that he was perfecting his skills. It made matters harder. Oliver was forced to get pretty creative. There was only so much he could teach himself. But by getting creative and making some anatomically correct dummies, Oliver had been able to work out trick shots from difficult angles and practice hitting the body in a way that would do as little damage as possible. His favorite so far was a simple shoulder shot that wouldn't do any serious damage but would stop anyone in their tracks.

He was also working on developing some trick arrows. Chloe had explained that Clark often patrolled from the rooftops because it gave him a good view of the city. It was a good strategy, but Oliver couldn't leap tall buildings in a single bound. So Chloe had gone looking through the articles on the guy from Gotham. According to police reports and eyewitness testimony, he used a grappling hook to get from the ground to the rooftops. Oliver was attempting to design some kind of arrow to do the same thing. He had some other ideas for specialty arrows, but that was the one he was most concerned with.

Chloe loved watching him get into his archery. He was so serious about it, so a part of it. She often helped him with the designs. Neither of them were experts on design and engineering, but they both knew enough to come up with competent designs that someone else could actually figure them out. (Oliver had apparently diverted an R and D program to making his gear.) Hearing him talk about the technical aspects of archery while they were working together was fascinating. He loved it so much that his passion was catching. When he was practicing, he exuded an air of confidence and concentration. His body was tense, but he was in complete control of everything. It was effortless for him and the things he could accomplish with a bow often amazed Chloe. Even when he'd just begun and was still relearning everything, he'd been able to hit targets she hadn't thought possible. In uncharacteristic humbleness, he'd shrugged off her amazement and gone back to practicing.

The sound of an arrow hitting the target jolted Chloe out of her thoughts. She looked up to see the arrow quivering in the target at the far end of the room. Oliver, knowing how impressed she usually was (he loved to tease her about that, even though her pride in him really just warmed his heart), looked over at her and grinned.

"I've seen better," she shrugged.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I'm not shooting for distance today, sidekick."

She grimaced slightly. "Would you stop calling me that?"

"Nope." He drew another arrow and shot. It landed less than a centimeter from the other.

"Jerk," she muttered.

He grinned at her and turned back to the targets, quickly firing off several arrows within seconds of each other. Each one landed precisely. Chloe returned to her papers, ignoring the schematics she'd been looking at earlier in favor of some research she'd been doing. She quickly became so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't even notice Oliver come to sit beside her until he spoke.

"What's wrong?"

Blinking slowly, she looked. "What?"

"You only get that look on your face when something is really frustrating you, so what's going on?"

"Just those deaths I told you about the other day," she sighed.

"Have you found any more cases that match?"

"Sort of," Chloe said. "There have been a lot of cases of drug overdoses, but none of them were found naked. That's a recent development."

"But I thought we decided that it couldn't be accidental ODs."

"They weren't, but they were classified that way. That's how they would have showed up in the police database," she explained. "So that was how I refined my search, but it wasn't working. Instead, I searched for missing persons that matched the description of the people who were found dead."

"The people that went missing didn't have anyone to report them missing."

"It was a long shot," she admitted. "But I did find a few. People who'd recently lost their jobs and who were reported missing by friends. There wasn't much to go off of, so I dug into their pasts. It helped me establish a pattern."

"A pattern?" he repeated. She could tell she was enjoying stringing him along.

"They were all associated with strange events happening around them," she explained excitedly. "It's quite possible that they were meta-humans. A few of them even have connections to Smallville."

Oliver's mouth fell open. "You think someone's abducting possible meta-humans?"

"It's possible," she said. "It may be a coincidence. It's just a working theory. I'll need more information to back it up. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to search all missing persons for signs that they're metas, not with just my little computer. It's going to be a while before I have any more information."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"I don't think so." She sighed tiredly and ran a hand through her hair. "At this point, I think I need to find more of a connection between the victims. Hell, I don't even know if something really is going on."

"No. I think you're right about that," Oliver said. "There are too many inconsistencies and weird little things in these cases. You're the one that pointed out that the nudity was an issue. And we both know that there's no real cause of death. There's something going on here and I know you'll find it."

"Oh, I'm sure I will. The question is, will what I find be worth anything."

She did have a point. There was no way to tell whether or not she would find anything that would be useful. But he was pretty sure that she would find something and that when she did, things were going to change. He wasn't sure how. He just knew it in his gut. And that meant he was going to have to be ready.

Sighing heavily, Chloe set the papers down and leaned her head back against the wall. "So how much longer are you gonna be getting your ass kicked every day?"

"Hey, it's not every day," he said indignantly.

"You've ended up on the floor every day this week."

"I still won."

"Barely. And you got your ass kicked more times than that."

"You just have no respect for my ego, do you?"

She chuckled. "It's too big as it is. Besides you can't go out there fighting bad guys thinking you're better than you are."

At that, his eyes glinted mischievously. "Maybe I'm better than you think."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she challenged, arching an eyebrow.

"That I've been holding back lately," Oliver admitted. "I'm taking a risk as it is hiring these guys train me. I don't think it should be common knowledge that I'm working so hard to learn how to fight, or how good I am. And unfortunately, being who I am, the odds that someone will tell someone else about what I doing are pretty high. As it is, I can sell the story that it's just a personal training regimen. But if I start really kicking ass, then someone is going to get suspicious."

"So you've been pretending not to be as good as you really are to fool everyone?" Chloe asked, looking incredulous. "That's stupid."

"It's a lot harder than it looks," he pouted. "Letting blows past isn't exactly easy, especially when it's what you're learning not to do. And it's not as if I enjoy getting my ass kicked."

"How exactly do you know that you're as good as you seem to think?" she challenged.

Grinning, he stood and walked over to one of the dummies he used for practice and easily pulled off a move that he'd been struggling with just that morning. He quickly and naturally flowed through several other complicated moves that had also been giving him trouble. Triumphant smirk painted across his face, he turned back to Chloe.

"How's that for proof?"

"Good enough for me. So I guess this means that you're done with the training sessions?"

"Not quite," he said. "I'll have to go through the motions of setting up a regimen that I can work on without a trainer so that no one asks questions about why I suddenly stopped working with someone. But yeah, pretty much. I mean, I'm going to have to keep training. But it'll either have to be on my own or with someone I can trust with the vigilante stuff."

She thought for a moment. "I may actually be able to solve that. Let me check a few things." Maybe one of the meta's she met in Smallville would be willing to help. They definitely had the whole secret identity thing down.

"Whether that works out or not, I think I'm set."

Chloe smiled weakly. "I guess I don't have to worry about you once you actually get out there."

"I wouldn't say that." He moved to sit beside her again. "I mean, I'll be able to handle myself, but that doesn't mean I don't need you watching my back."

She leaned against him. "I know. I just meant that it'll be easier knowing that you aren't defenseless out there. Trust me, having a hero for a best friend is not as easy as it looks, especially when that friend is still in training."

"Not for much longer."

Chloe sat up and arched an eyebrow. "Really? You think you're ready?"

"There are a few details to iron out," he acknowledged. "But my costume's almost ready, the guys at the R and D lab I reassigned have almost got the bows and arrows, including the specialized arrows, complete. I have to send them the schematics I showed you, and it'll probably take them a week or two to get it done."

"How soon?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"A week and a half at most. The board needs proof that I'm actually going to class and doing the assignments, so I need to focus on that. Besides, I need to wait for my gear to actually be ready. And I should probably practice moving in it and getting used to the new bow."

"So, if all goes well, in less than two weeks, you'll be protecting the streets of Star City," she surmised.

Oliver nodded. "Hopefully. I don't think the city can wait any longer. And maybe if I'm out there, I'll be able to figure out what's going on with the deaths you're looking into."

"Don't waste your time looking into that. There's nothing you're going to be able to do out on the streets until I find some more information. You just focus on taking out as many scumbags as you can find while I figure this out."

"There's gotta be something I can do to help."

"Until I can find a more solid connection between the victims, there's nothing you can do. Seriously, just focus on taking out the bad guys you do find. I'll worry about finding whoever's behind this."

Something was off. Oliver could tell. She'd been strangely subdued ever since he'd brought up the subject of actually going out there as a vigilante. He moved to kneel in front of her, forcing her to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing," she said with a weak smile.

"Uh huh. Want to try that again, sidekick?"

Chloe stood, gathering her papers into her arms. "Really, it's nothing. But if we don't hurry up we're going to late to classes and I doubt the board would be happy with that considering it's still early on in the school year."

In one swift motion, he stood as well and stepped in front of her, blocking her escape route. He glared at her. "Something is obviously bothering you and I have a hunch that that something is me. Now tell me what the hell I did so that I can fix it."

"Really, you didn't do anything. I'm just...I'm just worried in general. Okay."

"Worried about what?"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation and one hand landed on her hip. "Are you serious? Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm worried about you. Clark gets in enough trouble and he's practically invulnerable. I know that you can handle yourself and that you're not defenseless, but I'm still worried about you."

Oliver felt his chest tighten as it clicked in his head what was bothering her and, though it kind of went against their "just friends" status, he pulled her into his arms, pressing her against his chest and and resting his chin on her hair. She stiffened slightly in surprise, but quickly relaxed against him. She didn't return the hug, but she allowed him to keep his arms around her.

"I'm not going to die," he whispered fiercely. "I may get hurt, we both know that. But I promise you, Chloe. I'm not leaving you again."

"Not on purpose." Her voice was muffled against his chest, but the pain was easy to hear.

Pulling away just enough so that he was looking down at her while keeping his arms wrapped fully around her, he fixed her with a glare. "Sidekick, you're doing the same thing that I did after Veronica attacked us. You can't spend all your time worring about the what-ifs. What I'm going to be doing is no different than what you do when you're tracking down meta-humans."

"I know," she said miserably. "I know. I really do. I'm just worried."

"I can't exactly tell you not to worry," he admitted. "But, I swear, I'm not trying to get myself killed. In fact, I'm going be trying really damn hard not to die. Do you believe me?"

Chloe nodded weakly against his chest and finally returned the embrace. Rubbing her back soothingly, Oliver pressed his cheek into her hair. It was the closest they had been for more than a few seconds since their decision to keep thing platonic and the small amount of cuddling they'd done on the plane. It felt good.

A few more moments passed before Oliver released her. "Are you all right now?"

"Define all right," she laughed weakly. "My best friend is a vigilante. I'm as all right as I can be under the circumstances."

Oliver knew that was the best answer he was going to get out of her, so he took it. She had every right to be worried. Hell, he was worried, too. But at least he seemed to have slightly cheered her up and gotten her mind of things.

"I'm gonna hit the shower," he said. "Then I'll make breakfast before we leave. How's that sound?"

A real grin tugged at her lips at that. "Sounds good. I'll hop in the shower, too and meet you in the kitchen."

She slipped past him and walked out of the training room. Oliver watched her go, wishing to God that he was joining her in the shower.

* * *

><p>That evening, as Chloe sat before her computer at the Register her thoughts drifted. It was getting harder for her to ignore Oliver. She'd known from the beginning that it was going to be hard to be just friends with him. But it was what he needed. She'd spent the two years he was gone, clinging to him instead of letting him go, she'd just never realized it until he'd come back. He'd spent those two years preparing himself for her to have moved on while at the same time depending on their relationship to survive. It had left him with some serious issues to work through. And she knew that he had to work through them before they could move forward in a relationship again.<p>

But damn if it wasn't getting hard to wait. It was a holding pattern she'd been in all her life. Waiting. First it had been waiting for Clark to notice her and now she was waiting for Oliver to be ready for something more than friendship. As great as having him back was, it wasn't as great as being with him that way.

Sighing, Chloe pulled up her info on the mysterious deaths and started looking for some kind of connection between the victims. Hopefully loosing herself in research would be enough to distract her from how sexually and emotionally frustrated she was.


	10. Chapter 9

Title: Gift of Fate

Rating: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

Summary: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

Warning: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

Spoilers: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: Big thanks to jessicaj703 for all the help on this chapter. I tend to get caught up in the writing and not really think about how it sounds to other people. This is the first time I've tried to write Oliver actually being the Green Arrow, so I could use all the feedback you can give me!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

He was walking home when he saw them. Police cars gathered around an alley, an ambulance off to the side, a covered gurney in the back. It was a scene that was all too familiar. He had seen it almost every day on his way home from work, or on the local news. It was probably stupid for him to walk the few blocks between Queen Industries and his apartment, but some part of him wanted to know what was going on in the city. In the two months since he'd stopped that mugging it had only gotten worse.

Oliver paused across the street, morbid curiosity stilling his steps. He watched as a second, much smaller body, was pulled out of the alley. Jaw tight, he forced himself to keep walking. It was time to do something, to stop what was happening. If no one else was going to do it, then he would.

It was sooner than he would have liked - he hadn't had a chance to practice, to get used to the gear and the responsibility, not to mention the fact that he'd told Chloe that it would be a few more weeks after R and D had run into some problems with his gear. But he couldn't wait any longer. People were dying. He had to do something about it.

* * *

><p>The news reports were becoming repetitive. Every day was the same story, with only slight changes to the details. Someone had died at the hands of another, whether in a mugging, or a robbery, or for no apparent reason whatsoever. Chloe was getting sick of it. Physically sick of it. Things had just suddenly gotten much worse and she knew it was bothering Oliver. He'd been throwing himself into training and developing the rest of his gear for weeks. It was all supposed to have been ready three weeks ago, but due to some foreseen complications, it been completed only a few days ago.<p>

Unable to listen to the news any more, Chloe turned the TV off and waited. Oliver would be back soon and she had a feeling she knew what he would want to do when he got there.

Sure enough, when the elevator doors slid open five minutes later, Oliver started talking as soon as he saw her.

"I know I said that I'd wait a little bit longer, but I can't," he said, running his hands through his hair in agitation. "Things have gotten too bad. Someone's got to do something and-"

"No one else will," she cut in. "I know, Ollie. You're right. You can't wait and I won't stop you."

"You won't?"

She smiled slightly. "No. Just tell me all about it when you get back."

Oliver grinned and, though his expression was strained, she could tell that he was grateful for the support.

"Go on," she said. "Get ready. I'll be right here."

Without another word he disappeared down the hall. Chloe leaned back against the couch and tried not to let the worry overwhelm her. On a certain level, she knew that Oliver could handle himself. But she was more than aware of how bad things were out there and the odds that he would make it back to the penthouse unscathed were slim.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there when she heard Oliver calling her name. Shaking off the fears and doubts, Chloe stood and walked down the hallway to the office where he'd set up a secret room for all of his gear. When the contractor had asked questions, he'd explained it away as a vault for company documents.

Tapping on the door, Chloe stuck her head in to find Oliver standing just inside the secret room. The walls were backlit with green light. One wall hung with several different bows, all ranging in size from a small crossbow to a full-sized longbow. The opposite wall contained well organized shelves of various small knives and gadgets as well as arrows carefully placed in holders according to their purpose. The back wall was empty, but she knew that was where his costume usually hung. At the moment, he was wearing it.

She'd never actually seen him in the full gear. The leather vest was snug, but not too tight, and left his well-muscled arms bare save for the bands he wore. His leather pants were also tight, to cut down on excess fabric, but not tight enough to restrict movement. He had the hood pushed back and was wearing leather gloves. Chloe felt her pulse increase slightly and her body temperature rose at the mere sight of him. There was an ache deep in her chest. She desperately wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him hard, to be close to him the way she once was. But she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind before they could become too overwhelming. It wasn't time yet. She wasn't sure when it would be.

When he finally noticing her standing there, Oliver looked up, and smiled nervously. "What do you think?"

"Impressive," she nodded. "I take it your ego is as strong as ever?"

"Funny," he smirked. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

She arched an eyebrow. "Depends on the favor."

"Don't worry, it's right up your alley," he said, tossing a small device. She caught it and held it up. It looked like a bluetooth earpiece. Oliver waved her into the room, grabbing a remote off the bookshelf and hitting a button as he did. A computer screen started to from the ceiling. Pulling a wireless keyboard out of a drawer, he hit a few keys before turning back to Chloe.

"This program taps into all city frequencies and alarms," he explained. "It identifies them and plots them on this map. This program," he hit another button on the remote and another screen lowered from the ceiling, "brings up satellite images of the entire city in real time and refreshes every few seconds. It'll pick up crimes that aren't reported to the police. And this one," a third screen appeared next to the first two, "taps into 911 calls and scans for certain words and phrases that might indicate a situation. My comm is GPS enabled, so you can track me on the first screen and the second screen in linked up to the video in my glasses, which," he added with a slight smirk, "are night vision capable."

Thoroughly impressed with the setup, Chloe looked from one screen to the next then turned to Oliver. "What's all this got to do with me?"

"I need someone to monitor all of this and help guide me through the city to get to the crimes as they happen," he explained. "You up for it?"

She smiled, her fingers curling around her comm device. "Definitely."

Returning her smile with a broad grin of his own, Oliver pulled up his hood and slipped on a pair of dark glasses. "Then I should get out there. Glad to know you've got my back, sidekick."

"How am I going to convince you to stop calling me that?" she groaned.

"Come up with a suitable code name and we'll talk," he challenged.

Chloe nodded, her eyes twinkling. "What am I supposed to call you?"

Reaching up to press a button on the side of his glasses, he started backing toward the balcony doors. When he spoke, his voice was deep and mechanical. "Green Arrow."

He pulled his bow out of the holster at his hip and it immediately expanded to its full size of about three feet. Anchoring one end of a thin steel cable in the brick near the door, he fired an arrow out over the city. With one final grin, he hit a button on the bow and it collapsed again, this time into a kind of pulley that he hooked onto the line before sailing into the night. Shaking her head, Chloe slipped the comm over her ear and turned back to the screens.

"Arrow, you're nearest 911 is three blocks east on 32nd Street, in an alley between Markham and Fredericks. Robbery in progress." She glanced at the satellite images. "Looks like there are two men. I don't know if they're armed, so be careful."

"Copy that, sidekick," Oliver said. She could hear the grin in his voice and a moment later the comm crackled as he soared across the rooftops.

Chloe saw him land on the roof across from the convenience store being robbed. She bit her lip and grabbed the desk chair from the office, a blanket from the closet, and a cup of coffee, settling in for a long night.

Crouched on top of the building, Oliver felt the rush of adrenaline pumping through him. He turned and shot a zipline into the building behind him and lowered himself down to the street.

He carefully scanned the building. The two burglars were attempting to break into the cash register. Smirking, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and fired it into the building. It landed, shuddering in the wall right above their heads. Startled, the two men turned to look up at the arrow as it began to release a green gas. Within moments, they both hit the ground, unconscious.

Oliver waited long enough for the knockout gas to dissipate before heading into the store. He zip-tied the burglars' wrists together and tied them to the counter. Straightening up, he touched the comm. "Got 'em, sidekick."

"Cool," Chloe said admiringly. "I placed a call to the police, so I'd get out of there if I were you. I doubt they'll appreciate the help."

"No kidding," he chuckled, moving back to the zipline and retracting it to return to the roof. "Where to next?"

For the next several hours, Chloe guided Oliver from crisis to crisis. He stopped three more muggings, a carjacking, and a drug deal. The sense of accomplishment and rightness washing through him was the most amazing high. He knew there were still people out there who needed help, and that moat of them hadn't gotten any, despite his presence. But some small dent had been made in the crime wave and for the moment, he'd take that.

He activated the comm in his ear. "I think I'm gonna head back, sidekick." Part of him wanted to keep at it through the night, but he could feel fatigue tugging at him through the adrenaline rush and he knew it was dangerous to be out there when he was half asleep. "Anything on my way back?"

Feeling a bit relived that Oliver was on his way home, and in one piece, if a little bruised from missing a landing and slamming into a brick wall - she was going to have to poke fun at him him about that - Chloe scanned the map of the city. "Two blocks north. Looks like an attempted mugging. Hurry before it gets ugly."

Nodding grimly, he ran across the rooftops, easily traversing the narrow gaps until he reached the alley. The mugger had a woman pinned to the wall, a gun pressed to her temple. Her purse lay on the ground at her feet, but he was shouting at her for more.

They were too close together for a taser arrow, so he set his teeth and aimed carefully for the hand holding the gun. He waited a beat, reading the man's body language to be sure that he wouldn't move, and released the arrow. It sliced through the air with a distinctive whine. The mugger howled, jerking backward. He clutched his arm, the arrow protruding from his wrist. As he dropped to his knees, Oliver landed behind him.

"Run," he said to the woman.

Whimpering slightly, she took off out of the alley. The mugger struggled to his feet, grabbing the gun with his uninjured hand. Oliver easily knocked it away and landed a punishing blow to the man's temple. He crumpled in a heap.

Three more men materialized out of the shadows, wielding knives instead of guns. Oliver whipped out his crossbow and managed to hit one with a taser arrow before the other two got right in front of him. Dropping the bow, he blocked a blow aimed at his ribs and dodged another one aimed for his neck. He spun around, twisting one guy's arm behind his back until he dropped the knife. Oliver threw him into the alley wall, knocking him unconscious. The remaining man lunged at him. Oliver easily dodged him and kicked him in the gut. Another blow to the head and the guy was also out cold.

As he reached for the zip-ties in his utility belt, Oliver suddenly felt a sharp fiery pain in his side. He twisted away reflexively. The guy he'd tazed stood in front of him. For the first time, Oliver noticed the heavy leather jacket the man was wearing. It had obviously helped block some of the charge of the taser. Cursing, Oliver dodged another attack. He grimaced with the movement pulled at his stab wound.

Seeing that his opponent was wounded, the mugger smirked. Cursing under his breath, Oliver managed to knock the other man's feet out from beneath him. Pain shot up his side and he fell to his knees. Realizing that he was in no condition to fight, he grabbed another taser arrow and jammed it into the mugger's neck, praying that the leather of his gloves would block the charge.

It did. The man convulsed and passed out.

Moving slowly to avoid opening his wound further, Oliver tied the men up.

"Arrow, are you all right?" Chloe asked in his ear. He could hear the barest hint of worry in her voice.

"Relatively," he answered, grimacing at the blood on his hands.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

He could have kicked himself for that. "Another mugger that I didn't see. Got me in the side with a knife. It hurts, but it's not bad," he added quickly.

"I'll get the first aid kit," she said shortly. "You just get your ass back here."

Why do I get the feeling that dealing with more bad guys would be easier than dealing with Chloe? Oliver wondered as he fired a line up to the roof and started on his way back to the penthouse.

Chloe was waiting in the office with the first aid kit when he landed a little awkwardly on the balcony. Crossing the city on a zip-line couldn't have been easy with a knife wound to the ribs. He was going to have to find an alternate means of transportation.

"Take your vest and shirt off," Chloe ordered the moment he stepped inside.

Rather than argue, Oliver did as she said. She glanced at the hole leather and said, "You know you're probably going to have to replace that, right?"

"I've got spares," he chuckled, trying to hide the wince as he pulled his black undershirt off.

"Of course you do. Sit down and let me get a look at this."

Again, he obliged rather than argue. Chloe gently inspected the wound, probing it lightly with her fingertips. A shiver coursed down Oliver's spine at her touch, but he kept his body still through sheer force of will.

"You're lucky," she said softly. "It's not deep."

She reached for the antiseptic, forcing herself to look only at the wound, not at his sculpted abs, or at his face. Remaining clinical and professional, she wet a cotton ball and gently cleaned the injury. Oliver winced slightly and she automatically took his hand in hers before continuing. When she was satisfied the cut was clean, she slid her hand out of his and carefully bandaged it.

For the first time in a long time, she was acutely aware of how close they were to each other. Except for the occasional flash of emotion, she'd managed to firmly stick him in the friend box. Standing there in front of him, pressed up against his legs, her hands on his side, sent a shot of lust and something more right through her. She glanced up at him and caught the strange expression in his eyes. Her breath caught slightly. Forcing herself back to reality, Chloe stepped away and began packing up the first aid kit.

Oliver felt the loss of her touch with almost physical pain. It had been so long since they'd touched as more than just friends and he yearned for it. He yearned for the feel of her lips on his, their bodies pressed against each other. But she wasn't ready.

"Not bad for my first time out," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Not bad," Chloe agreed. "You didn't die, which is a good thing."

"And I helped people."

"Always an upside. It's going to be all over the papers."

Oliver cocked his head, an idea striking him for the first time. "Are you going to write about this?"

"Are you seriously asking if I'm going to unmask you?" she snapped.

"After all the times you didn't expose Clark don't you think I know you better than that?" he exclaimed, slightly offended by her assumption. "I meant are you going to write about my alter ego for the Register?"

"Oh." Her cheeks reddened just the tiniest bit as she shrugged. "Probably. We'll see where it goes. If people start labeling you as a bad guy, I may have to step in."

"It would be appreciated," he chuckled. Seeing Chloe yawn, he added, "I'm going to pack up my gear and get some sleep. Why don't you go on ahead?"

"You don't need a hand?"

Oliver shook his head and grinned. "Nah. This'll only take a minute. Thanks for all the help tonight. I wouldn't have done nearly as much good without my guardian angel."

"I'm hardly an angel," she scoffed. "But I'm glad I could help. I like actually know where you are instead of just sitting here imagining all the scenarios. I'd probably worry myself into an early grave."

"We wouldn't want that."

"Definitely not. Though next time I'm going to need more coffee."

At her words, Oliver looked up hopefully. "There's going to be a next time?"

"Unless this," she gestured at his uniform, "is going to be a one time thing, there's definitely going to be a next time."

"We need to come up with a real code name for you," he teased.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "We'll see. Good night, Ollie."

"Night."

Alone in the room, he changed into a pair of sweats, took some ibuprofen, and finished cleaning and putting away his gear. With any luck, he was in the process of saving Star City. Now if only he could find a way to save his relationship with Chloe, everything would be right in his world.


	11. Chapter 10

**Title:** Gift of Fate

**Rating:** PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary:** Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning:** Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers:** The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

**Beta:** jessicaj703 on LJ. Thanks for all the help!

_Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay in posting this. I ended up doing a lot more editing than I expected and with Finals next week, I'm busier than ever. If all goes well, the next chapter should be up early next week. It's written and waiting for a final edit. But, as I have learned with the last few chapters, that doesn't really mean anything_.

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

Chloe looked around the bullpen and smirked. The Green Arrow was certainly stirring things up in Star City. When people realized the mysterious vigilante wasn't going away, they wanted to know more about him. Her editor was no exception. Green Arrow stories and pictures were top priority. So far all of the attention had been pretty fair. There were the inevitable questions about whether or not he was a criminal, but it was nothing unwarranted. Chloe hadn't bothered to get involved. Her colleagues' preoccupation with Oliver's alter ego actually left her with some of the other articles. She hadn't had anything on the front page yet, but she was moving up.

Some of her co-workers were having an animated conversation about whether or not the Green Arrow had superpowers. Chloe forced herself not to butt in when someone suggested he could teleport and turned back to the article she was working on. She was going to have to tell Oliver that one. He'd definitely get a kick out of it.

It had been several weeks since his first night out. Aside from some cuts and bruises and a few more mishaps with equipment, everything had gone well. Chloe had played eyes in the sky every night, calling the police as he got done with one set of bad guys and telling him where to go next. Usually she sat in his secret room working on her articles or doing her homework. Considering that Oliver was taking as many classes as she, working at Queen Industries practically full time, and patrolling every night she was actually jealous that he was juggling it all so well.

Despite the pressure and the dangers, Oliver seemed a lot happier now that he was doing something. Chloe had to admit that helping him help people was a pretty amazing rush, even though she wasn't out there in the middle of the action the way he was. And it was pretty cool that the two of them were working together to do it, like a team.

A tentative voice broke through her thoughts. "Bright ey-Chloe?"

Eyes wide, she looked up to see none other than Jimmy Olsen, bow-tie peeking out of his sweater vest and camera around his neck, standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" she asked in astonishment.

He held up his camera. "The Planet wants pictures of this new vigilante. I got the assignment. I'm here on loan until I get something. What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to school at SCU," she said slowly. "How did you know I'm at the Register?"

"I didn't," he stammered. "I saw you when I came in a couple of minutes ago."

Chloe nodded, not sure of what else to say. She knew that Jimmy would want to hang out, partly because she was probably the only person in the city that he knew and partly because he still thought he was in love with her. She didn't even want to think about what that might look like to Oliver. As if things couldn't get any more complicated between the two of them, now she had to worry about him being jealous.

"I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat," Jimmy said nervously, once more interrupting her thoughts. "You know, just to catch up."

Biting her lip, Chloe hesitated slightly. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Jimmy."

"Because of the guy I saw you with in Metropolis?" he guessed. He sounded almost bitter.

"Sorta," she hedged. "That is actually incredibly complicated." _And please don't ask me any more about it because I am not getting into the gritty details of my relationship with Oliver._

"You wanna talk about it?" Jimmy offered.

Chloe shook her head vehemently. "No. Thanks. But, no."

Looking slightly hurt, he changed the subject. "So what about lunch?"

"I really don't know..."

"Come on," he pleaded. "I don't know anyone in Star City and I thought that we were at least friends before everything happened."

He had an excellent point. She just didn't care. She didn't have the energy to try and be friends with Jimmy while worrying about leading him on.

Chloe was struggling to come up with a good excuse not to go to out to eat with him when a hush fell over the bullpen. Chloe looked up to see Oliver walking toward her. It wasn't the first time he'd stopped by for lunch or to pick her up or even just to chat. But it never ceased to amaze her friends and coworkers that they knew each other. After all, he was Star City's golden boy. Without fail, there was an awkward silence when he walked in and quiet mutters when he left.

Guessing what it was that he wanted, Chloe started saving her work and closing everything so she could shut down the computer.

Catching sight of Jimmy standing beside her, Oliver's pace slowed slightly and he frowned. Chloe discretely shook her head and grimaced, trying to convey that she wasn't happy that Jimmy was there. Oliver seemed to get the message, because he sped back up and the creases that had marred his forehead disappeared.

"Lunch?" she guessed when he stopped in front of her desk.

"If you've got time," he said with a bright grin.

Chloe nodded and started throwing stuff in her purse. Jimmy shifted awkwardly beside her and cleared his throat. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "This is Jimmy, by the way. He's a photographer from the Planet and the two of us used to work together a lot. He's here to get the first pictures of Star City's vigilante."

"Really?" Oliver said, eyebrow raised. "Good luck. I've heard that he's pretty elusive."

Trying to hold back her laughter, Chloe shot Oliver a glare before turning to Jimmy. "This is Oliver. He's one of my closest friends. I'm staying with him since I moved out here."

Oliver almost winced at the friend label. He definitely wasn't making any progress in their relationship, despite his frequent attempts to figure out what was holding Chloe back while simultaneously proving that he was over all his issues from the island. On the other hand, he could understand her reluctance to define their relationship to Jimmy, who she was obviously slightly uncomfortable around. He just wondered how she really defined their relationship.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he focused on Jimmy, who was actually speaking to him.

"How do you and Chloe know each other?"

Oliver shrugged. "I went to Smallville High for my senior year. She showed me around and we became friends. There's really not that much to tell." _Understatement of the century, but you don't look like you can handle the truth._

"He actually got sent out there to avoid trouble," Chloe added, her eyes dancing. "Needless to say, hanging out with me and my nosey reporter tendencies got us into more trouble than he ever managed on his own."

Oliver chuckled and shrugged innocently.

"So you're from around here?" Jimmy pressed, completely changing the subject.

"You could say that," Oliver said, trying not to laugh. He thought everyone knew who he was. Jimmy must not have been in town long. This could be fun, he mused. "My parents' company is based here." Before the interrogation could continue, he offered his arm to Chloe. "You ready? I'm thinking the Italian place down the street."

She beamed. "I am totally craving tiramisu," she said, threading her arm through his and glancing back at Jimmy. "See you later."

"Bye," he said weakly.

Moving closer to Oliver, she hissed, "Let's get out of here."

"Your wish is my command," he chuckled.

The moment they stepped outside into the sunlight, Chloe relaxed visibly and a gentle smile crossed her face. Then she shook herself and looked up at Oliver apologetically. "Sorry about that. I had no idea he was even in town."

"Not your fault," he shrugged. _I just hope him being here doesn't change anything._

"The only problem is that now he's not going to leave me alone. I could barely get him to take 'no' for an answer before."

Unconsciously, Oliver tightened his grip on his on her arm, pulling her slightly closer. "Just out of curiosity, what did you tell him? About us in general."

"When he asked me out just before you got back, all I told him was that the guy I had been dating went missing and that I wasn't over it." She blushed slightly. "I have yet to mention that you're that guy, so as far as he knows we're just friends. I don't want to have to explain it to him," she added hotly. "It's none of his business. I shouldn't have to give him the details of my love life to him just because he can't take a hint."

Warmed slightly by the fact that she'd referred to their relationship as her love life, Oliver nodded and pulled open the door to the restaurant. "Well if he keeps giving you trouble, I'm sure there's a certain vigilante out there who wouldn't mind scaring the crap out of him."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think that'll be necessary. The Green Arrow has better things to do than terrorize Jimmy Olsen. I'll just call Lois."

Oliver stared at her in mock horror. "That's cruel."

"It's not as if he doesn't deserve it," she grumbled.

Seeing as he whole-heartedly agreed, Oliver chose not to say anything and hid behind the menu. After a few moments, he looked up at Chloe again. "So how are things at the Register?"

"Not bad," she shrugged. "Same old. Green Arrow is still a hot topic. I heard a girl today who thought he had the ability to teleport. It's getting slightly ridiculous."

"I expected it to be worse," Oliver admitted. "Besides, teleportation sounds like that might be a handy power to have."

"I've met someone who could teleport." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "She turned out to be crazy obsessed with Clark and nearly killed a bunch of people before he stopped her."

"Right," he grimaced. "Taking that off the list of superpowers I wish I had."

She laughed. "If you did that for every power a psycho meta-human possessed, you'd be left with a very short list of abilities."

"Well, I'm trying to avoid going crazy," he teased.

"I hate to break it to you," she said, lowering her voice so that no one else could hear, "parading around town with a bow and arrow dressed head to toe in green leather doesn't exactly qualify as sane."

"But it doesn't qualify as psychotic either. Besides, I doubt that enabling me could be considered the behavior of a mentally stable person."

"I don't think I've been stable since I moved to Smallville. Must be all of the meteor rocks."

"Why am I not surprised that they cause insanity?"

Chloe laughed, a happy and carefree sound that Oliver would never get tired of hearing. "Maybe because of the sheer number of infected psychos who tried to kill me?"

"Oh, yeah. That's why. I seemed to have blocked out those memories."

"Since I'm the one with all the near death experiences, shouldn't I be the one blocking stuff out?"

"Ah, but you were not the one worrying," he countered. "I used to spend hours wondering how the hell you managed to stay alive long enough for us to meet."

"Skill," she grinned. "Pure, unadulterated skill."

"You know, I think I could use some of that now that I've taken up certain after hours hobbies."

"I don't know. I tend to end up being more of a damsel in distress than a hero swooping in to save the day."

Oliver's face softened and he automatically reached out to take her hand, ignoring the electric charge the seemed to course up his arm at the contact. "You could never be a damsel in distress. How many times have you kicked meta-human ass because they underestimated you?"

"Not as often as you think," she said ruefully. "A lot of my escapes were courtesy of Clark."

"It's not as if you took any of it lying down," Oliver pointed out. "That takes a lot of guts considering you know what these people are capable of."

She smiled and slid her hand out from under his as the waitress came around the corner to take their order.

* * *

><p>Lunch hadn't lasted long enough for Oliver, but Chloe'd had to go back to the Register. Her editor and been on her case the past few days since she pulled a lot of weird hours between her college classes and doing research for the heroes in her life. She hadn't want to press her luck by staying gone too long, so he'd reluctantly said good bye.<p>

He was sitting in his office at Queen Industries, going through some of the work for his online classes while taking a break from looking over some official documents. It was boring and he'd rather be doing it at home while Chloe researched her next article. At least then the silence would have been filled with witty banter and he wouldn't have felt like his brain was pouring out of his ears.

The intercom on his desk buzzed. "Mr. Queen. There's someone here to see you. He says he's an old friend."

Welcoming the distraction, no matter who it turned out to be, he hit the button and said, "Let him in."

A few seconds later, the door flew open and a tall, lean man in an Air Force uniform burst into the room. "Seriously, dude. You get banished to some hick town in the middle of nowhere and you can't be bothered to call. Then you fall off the face of the earth and despite your miraculous return, you still don't call. A guy might think you're avoiding him."

Oliver grinned as he stood and walked around his desk to shake the guy's hand. "That goes both ways, man. You could have picked up a phone. Or did you lose my number?"

"More likely deleted it to make room for a pretty girl's number," the other man scoffed, rolling his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sure," Oliver laughed. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"What's the matter? Never seen a military uniform?" the man teased.

"Not on you, Hal. You never seemed the military type."

"Well we're all full of surprises."

Oliver rolled his eyes. He and Hal Jordan had met at Star City Academy, the private school he'd been sent to after the incident with Duncan and Lex at Excelsior. His guardian had wanted him close by in case he started causing trouble again. Hal had been one of the first people he'd met, and like Chloe, he'd been completely unimpressed with Oliver's status. They'd shared a similar outlook on life: party hard and boy had they done that. More than that, Hal had a great sense of humor and was a really good, truly loyal friend. Oliver had regretted not staying in touch while he was in Smallville, but he just wasn't the best at maintaining relationships. Before Chloe, he'd never really worked at it.

"So what exactly brought this on?" Oliver asked, gesturing at the uniform his friend was wearing.

Hal shrugged. "You know me. I always wanted to fly something and go to space. The best way to do that was to join the Air Force. Plus, it keeps me out of trouble," he added with a grin.

"And they actually let you behind the wheel of a plane?"

"One, planes don't actually have steering wheels. Two, I'm one of their best pilots. I've passed everything with flying colors and they've got me training for the space program."

"Wow," Oliver said, completely impressed. "That's awesome, man."

"It's pretty awesome," Hal acknowledged. "What about you? I've been in detention, bootcamp, and flight simulators for the past few years. What's been up with you?"

Sighing, Oliver quickly recounted everything that had happened the past three years, from meeting Chloe to making it off the island. Again, he was forced to leave out some of the more interesting details - including the fact that he was friends with an alien, which Hal, the proverbial skeptic, would have loved.

Hal shook his head and collapsed into one of the chairs. "If anyone told me that you'd end up on a deserted island and survive for two years, I'd have told 'em that that they were crazy and that you'd have been a goner in less than a week. Don't get me wrong, man. You're resourceful." He chuckled good-naturedly. "It's gotten us out of a couple of tight spots. But I'd have never guessed that you'd be able to Castaway it."

"I'd have said the same thing," Oliver admitted. "But I did. It was one hell of an experience. Not one I want to repeat, though."

"I'll say. I want my islands with sandy beaches and scantily clad women."

"Well you certainly haven't changed."

Hal smirked. "Did you expect me to? I'm surprised that you did. One girl all this time? That's impressive, dude."

"It would be more impressive if we were actually still together," Oliver sighed. "But it was too complicated after everything that happened. She spent years thinking I was dead and trying to get over me and I spent two years trying to prepare myself for her rejection when I did get back, if I ever did. We decided to take a step back to deal and get to know each other again. But that was months ago, back in May. It sucks."

"So you haven't had sex since you went missing?" Hal said incredulously. "That really sucks."

Oliver rolled his eyes. Hal's mind always had occupied the gutter.

Sighing, he sat back and smiled ruefully. "Hal, I haven't had sex in over three years."

Hal choked on air. "Say that again? The guy who could get laid without even trying, and usually did just that, hasn't gotten any in three years?"

"Yep."

"Do I even want to know why?"

"Because I don't want to screw it up," Oliver said simply.

The light bulb going off in Hal's head was practically visible. "You must really like this girl if you've been waiting that long."

"You have no idea," Oliver muttered. "The first thing I wanted to do when I got back was to take that step in our relationship, the one I'd been saying no to because I wanted to do everything right. And then we realized that things were a lot more complicated than we thought. We realized that if we kept going like things hadn't changed, we'd really screw things up. We've been tap dancing around each other for months. But, you know what? It's worth it."

"I believe you," Hal said, slightly moved by the emotion in his friend's voice. "But how much longer are you going to wait?"

Oliver just shrugged and Hal shook his head. "I just don't know if I could do it."

"Just wait," Oliver smirked. "You'll meet someone eventually who'll be worth it."

Hal smiled mysteriously. "Maybe I already have."

"Really? I always thought you liked girls too much to make do with just one this early in life," Oliver teased.

"Well, it's complicated," Hal grumbled. "We're in this off and on convoluted relationship that even I don't fully understand. I'm not even sure that we're actually in a relationship." He leaned back, crossing his arms and almost pouting.

Despite the golden opportunity to poke fun at his friend, Oliver let it go. He and Chloe were basically in the same holding pattern. They just had half an idea of where they stood with each other. "If she's worth it, stick with it. Hopefully things will get better."

Hal nodded slightly, but pursed his lips, becoming more serious than before. "Hopefully. The only problem is a major monkey wrench has been thrown in the works. And I don't know how to handle it."

"Monkey wrench?" Oliver repeated. "Don't tell me you cheated on her."

"If only it were that simple," Hal grimaced.

Thoroughly confused, Oliver crossed his arms and leaned forward. "All right. What happened?"

"A story for another time," Hal said, a smirk on his face. "I've actually got some things to take care of, but I figured that if I didn't stop by that I'd never see you."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'm a bad friend."

"The worst. But I'll see you later, right?"

"You got someplace to stay?"

"I was just gonna check into a hotel."

"I'd offer the guest room, but Chloe's pretty much claimed it," Oliver said ruefully. _And I'm jumping off the balcony in green leather at night, so it would be a little awkward for you to be there._ "But feel free to stop by whenever. The code hasn't changed."

"Thanks man." Hal stood and stared moving toward the doors. "We really shouldn't wait three years before seeing each other again."

"I'll try not to go missing again," Oliver said dryly.

Hal laughed. "I'll hold you to that. See ya, Ollie."

"Bye."

Oliver was smiling as he went back to work.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. He even managed to get through all of his schoolwork and the majority of the paperwork for QI. For once, he and Chloe were leaving work at about the same time, so they planned to walk back to the penthouse together. He gathered up the papers he needed to go over before work the next day and left his office.

When he got downstairs, he found Tess standing outside, clearly waiting for him. Since the day she'd stopped by the penthouse and met Chloe, Oliver hadn't seen much of Tess. They'd met up for lunch once or twice, but that had been weeks, probably months before. Life had gotten in the way. He'd had to focus more of his time and energy on Queen Industries and school in an effort to stay on the good side of the board. Once he'd decided to become Green Arrow, his free time had been even more limited. And Tess had been busy as well, attempting to sort out her degree and find a job. The last time he'd spoken to her, she hadn't even been sure that she would stay in Star City.

Although Oliver didn't want to admit it, he knew that he'd been unconsciously avoiding Tess because he was well aware of the fact that her feelings for him were complicated, to say the least. He didn't want to encourage her or lead her on in any way, especially when he was so focused on getting Chloe back. So he'd done everything he could to avoid potentially romantic situations. Unfortunately, that had severely limited the number of times they were both free and it hadn't been long before they'd just stopped trying.

That had been months ago and Oliver was actually happy to see Tess again. He did consider her a friend, albeit one with feelings that he didn't return. He hoped that she'd gotten over those feelings so that they could remain friends.

Tess smiled when she saw him walking toward her, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked warmly, giving her a quick hug. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Tess shrugged, her face still impassively smooth. "I've been busy. But I had some time, so I thought I'd stop by and say hello."

"Well, I'm glad you did," he said, trying to keep the smile on his face. The woman standing in front of him definitely wasn't the same woman he'd seen the last time they'd talked. It was as if she'd built a wall around herself. "It's been too long. I hope you're not working too hard and if you ever need help just let me know."

"I've got it handled." She allowed herself a small, emotionless smile. "Thank you for the offer. But I would like to catch up, if you have time for dinner tonight."

Oliver shook his head ruefully. "I can't. I've got paperwork to take care of and it can't wait." _And Chloe and I have to prep for my patrol tonight_, he added to himself. That couldn't be avoided. He was heading into a new part of town and needed to do a little bit of research first.

"Some other time then?" Tess suggested. Something flickered deep in her eyes, but she quelled it before he could identify it.

"Definitely," he nodded emphatically. "Let me know if you're free for lunch some time this week. That's usually more doable. My evenings get pretty busy."

Another smile curled her lips, this one slightly ominous. "It's a date."

Something about the way she said the word "date" didn't sit well with him. He still remembered the look on Chloe's face after seeing the video of him and Tess walking into the hospital right after they'd been rescued. Though months had passed and they hadn't spent much time together while she was sorting out her life after the kidnapping, Oliver couldn't be sure that she had gotten over her feelings for him. He hoped she had, but there was no way to know. And while he didn't want to lose one of the few friends he had, he didn't want to lead her on or risk messing things up with Chloe. Not when he felt like they were so close to being more than friends again.

Caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, Oliver decided to do nothing for the time being and just see where things went. "Call me with a time that's good for you," he said, "and I'll take you to one of my favorite restaurants."

"Sounds fun," Tess said softly.

He grinned and started to step past her, but something crossed her face and the smooth blank mask she'd exhibited throughout their conversation slipped a little, revealing an intense emotion. Before he could even begin to process what that might mean, she closed the distance between them, kissing him firmly on the lips.

Oliver froze in surprise, his mind going completely blank with surprise. The moment his senses reengaged, he grabbed Tess's shoulders and pushed her away.

_Definitely not the girl I met on that boat_, he thought grimly.

Tess smirked. "What's the matter?"

"When have I ever given you the impression that I was interested in a romantic relationship with you?" he demanded, his eyes hard.

She didn't answer.

"That's what I thought. Look, I don't feel that way about you. And I don't see that changing. I'm willing and would like to be friends. But that's it. That's where I draw the line, Tess."

Tess jerked out of his grasp, her face becoming hard and her eyes going blank. "Fine. I won't bother you anymore."

Oliver groaned. That hadn't been what he meant. "Tess, you don't have to leave. You just can't expect me to be okay with you throwing yourself on me when I don't feel that way."

"But I do," she snapped. "I do feel that way. And that's not changing. So I'll just say goodbye. I got a job offer in another state that I think I'll take. You won't have to worry about me bothering you."

Before he could figure out what to say, she spun on her heel and disappeared into the crowd of people surging down the sidewalk at the end of the workday. Oliver cursed under his breath. He regretted pushing Tess away like that. He really didn't have many people that he actually considered friends. But Chloe was more important and he wasn't going to let anyone come between them. He couldn't. He needed her too much. If Tess couldn't handle the fact that he didn't feel the way she did, that wasn't his fault.

So why did he still feel like a world-class jerk?

Running his hand through his hair, Oliver sat on a nearby bench, hoping that he wouldn't screw things up with Chloe the way he seemed to with every other girl he'd ever even pretended to date. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he managed to push her away, too.

Completely oblivious to the people pushing past her, Chloe stood rooted in the middle of the sidewalk, dismay coursing through her, praying to God that her eyes had deceived her and she hadn't seen Tess kiss Oliver.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: I know this is an evil cliffhanger so please don't pelt me with rotten fruit. The next chapter is short and almost written, so it should be up soon!<em>


	12. Chapter 11

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

Heedless of the people jostling past her, Chloe stared straight ahead. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where Oliver and Tess had been kissing. It was something she was more or less used to seeing. The tabloids printed old pictures of him with previous girlfriends - flings, he always stressed - all the time and the kissing shots were always featuree. It was different actually seeing it happen in front of her, live and in 3D.

A small part of her brain was aware that Oliver had very quickly pushed Tess away and even seemed to be telling her to leave him alone. He looked unhappy with the whole thing and whatever he'd told Tess obviously hadn't gone over well. Chloe felt a small sense of satisfaction when she watched the other woman stomp away, visibly chagrined.

Regaining her senses to some degree, Chloe darted into the shadows of a nearby doorway, out of Oliver's line of sight. She needed a few minutes to get her head on straight again. It wasn't as if she could blame him for what had just happened and she wasn't even sure that she wanted to. In fact, she was pretty sure that she didn't blame him at all. She'd seen that he'd rejected Tess's advance. Tess had started the kiss and he'd quickly ended it. The "she kissed me" defense would actually work quite well for him.

Chloe leaned back against the door, covering her face with her hands. It was finally hitting her. She had been hesitant to step out of the friendship zone she and Oliver had placed themselves in, mostly because she wasn't sure if Oliver was ready. He'd had more issues to come to terms with than she did and she'd been worried about pushing him into a relationship before he'd dealt with everything. Now it was finally becoming clear to her. Oliver was the most important person in her life. He had been for a long time, even before he went missing. He was her best friend, the person she trusted more than anyone else and she knew that he felt the same way. She was the only one that he had confided in about his new Green Arrow persona. They spent as much time together as humanly possible and it was only getting harder not to jump him. All that time, she'd been waiting to be sure that Oliver was ready when he was probably do the exact same thing for her.

A smile tugged at her lips and she dropped her hands from her face. It seemed odd that something as potentially damaging as seeing him kiss another woman had actually made her realize that no matter what happened to them, she still loved him. She was willing to take any risk to be with him.

Struggling keep a massive grin off her face, Chloe ducked out onto the sidewalk behind a large throng of people.

"There you are. I thought you were blowing me off," Oliver teased when she walked up to him. He raised an eyebrow at the visible spring in her step. What has her so happy? he wondered as he pushed himself off the bench and met her halfway.

Sorry," she said apologetically, a slight blush coloroing her cheeks. "My editor wanted to talk to me about something. How was your day?"

He shrugged and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her along down the street, toward the penthouse. "Interesting. My friend Hal dropped by. I haven't seen him in years. He'll probably end up at the penthouse at some point and since he has a code, we'll have to be careful about certain leather goods lying around."

"Got it. Is there a lock on the office door?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'll dig up the keys. Unless there happens to be more than one, you can keep it until we can make copies."

Chloe arched an eyebrow. "It's your gear. Shouldn't you keep the key?"

"Yeah, but you're there more than I am. The odds that you'll need to lock everything up are a lot higher than the odds that I will. Besides," he added with a chuckle. "I should be brushing up on my lock picking skills."

"I thought you were stopping the bad guys, not joining them," Chloe teased.

He elbowed her lightly in the ribs and held open the door to his building. "I am. But I was doing some research and I think I found something that might require a little more finesse than what I've been doing."

"Oh! Details!" she demanded excitedly.

Normally, he would have drawn out the explanation just to tease her. But her obvious enthusiasm was contagious and he found himself wanting nothing more than to share it with her. "Carlisle Errington, the owner and CEO of a pharmaceutical company recently purchased a Ming Dynasty vase, ostensibly for his wife's collection, but I have source that says he bought it off the black market to launder money. It belongs in a museum, not in his living room."

"What's that got to do with ridding the city of crime?" She was slightly confused. "Are you planning to break in and steal it back?"

Oliver shrugged. "Half of the reason why the streets have gotten this bad is because people like Errington are using illicit business practices and they've got city officials and other criminals on their payroll to help with the cover up. We have to hit them where it hurts - their wallets. Just patrolling the city isn't going to be enough. If I can put some pressure on their pockets, I might be able to make a real impact."

"You're right," Chloe agreed, leaning back against the wall of the elevator. She was slightly awed by how much thought he'd put into everything. "We've definitely got to start working to take down organized crime and the people behind it." A worried look crossed her face. "Not to wound your ego or anything, assuming that was possible of course, but do you really think you can break into a high security building without getting caught?"

"You are the only person I know who can wound my pride while expressing concern," Oliver chuckled. Chloe rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know that my considerable experience sneaking into and out of parties will come in very handy. For the record, I've been practicing my burglar abilities, so it shouldn't be a problem, especially with my hacker sidekick around to help me take out the security system."

Only slightly mollified, Chloe followed him into the elevator. "Are you planning on trying that tonight?"

"No. I need to do a little bit of recon on the place first," he said. "Some idea of what I'll be up against would be helpful. And I want to try to figure out how Errington's ties in to the seedier side of the city. Tonight I'm just going to do a regular patrol."

"How soon are you heading out?"

"About the same time. Once it's dark. Unless of course Hal shows up, then it might be a little bit later."

"Do you expect him to come over?"

Oliver shook his head. "Not tonight. He said he had some stuff to take care of. He'll probably be over tomorrow though."

"I'm looking forward to meeting him," Chloe said, dumping her bags beside the sofa and sitting down, sliding her feet out of her heels.

"He's a nice guy. We got in a lot of trouble together. He was and is a good friend."

"Should I be worried that he's going to drag you back to the dark side?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "He might try, but he won't succeed. I've got too much depending on me to go back to partying like I used to. Besides," he shot her a grin, "you helped show me the error of my ways."

"You make me sound like a teacher or something," Chloe groaned.

"More like a guiding light," he contradicted, still grinning. "Seriously, Chloe. Before I met you, the only way I knew how to have fun was to get drunk at a party and end up with some random girl at the end of the night."

Blushing under the compliment, Chloe bent down to pull her laptop out of her bag while hiding her face. "I did the research on the south side of town that you asked me for and managed to pinpoint where the crime rates are highest. We can talk about it over dinner. What do you want?"

"Chinese take out sound good?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just don't order so much this time. You always act like you're feeding five instead of just two."

Chuckling, Oliver went to change out of his business suit before ordering dinner. Chloe watched him leave the room. It was definitely time to take things to the next level. Or at least, it would be once he got back from patrol. There was something she wanted to find first and the last thing she wanted to do was distract him. She really hoped that what she was planning to tell him would be very distracting.

* * *

><p>Oliver was distracted. He realized it and knew that if he was being smart, he'd be on his way back to the penthouse instead of standing on top of a building in one of the worst parts of town, waiting for something to go down. Luckily, it had been unusually quiet so while he wasn't in any physical danger, he'd had way too much time to think.<p>

What had happened outside Queen Industries with Tess had opened his eyes to how much Chloe meant to him. He was acutely aware of how close he'd come to completely screwing things up. If she'd seen Tess kissing him...He let the thought trail off and shuddered. He didn't even want to think about it. He'd made his decision. He was done with subtle. He was going to prove to Chloe that not only was he over all of his insecurities, but that she was still the only one he wanted.

Green flashes suddenly lit up the night sky and staccato gunfire broke the night silence, intruding on his thoughts. Oliver was immediately on alert. He scanned the city until he caught sight of the strange emerald light emanating from a construction site several alleys over. Gunfire continued to echo off the buildings.

"Sidekick. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"There's something on the satellite feed," she said. She sounded confused.

"What the hell is it?"

"I have no idea." He could hear the clicking of keys and knew that she was doing everything she could to find out what was going on. "There's no camera footage in the area and no report of any kind. The green flashes are screwing with the satellite images. You're on your own."

He nodded grimly. "All right. I'm going in."

"Be careful," she warned. "We don't know what you're going up against."

"Don't worry, sidekick. I know what I'm doing."

"One day that cocky attitude will come back to bite you in the butt," she grumbled. "And I'll be there to laugh and say 'I told you so' when it does."

He chuckled, the sound deepened by his voice distorter. "Switching to radio silent. I'll contact you when I know something."

"If you don't resume contact in ten minutes, I'm calling Clark," she threatened. "And turn on the video feed from your glasses."

"Got it." He knew she wasn't kidding.

Shooting a zip-line across the rooftops, Oliver easily crossed to the rooftop overlooking the construction site the light was emanating from. He ducked behind an air-conditioning unit and looked down at the chaos below.

Two rival gangs were in the midst of a firefight. They were crouching behind piles of lumber and steel firing at each other non-stop. A couple of the thugs had automatic weapons, but most of tem were using handguns. _That's why the streets have been so quiet_, Oliver realized. _No one wants to be caught in the crossfire._

Except for a man in a green and black fitted body suit, who was right in the middle of it all. He was surrounded by a green bubble of energy that seemed to be emanating from a ring on his hand. Bullets ricocheted off the bubble, but he seemed to barely notice.

Seeing that the gunfire was having no effect on the stranger, the leaders of one gangs, a man almost completely covered in tattoos, lowered his gun and shouted something over his shoulder. A massive, grey-skinned meta emerged from the shadows of the construction site. He was wielding a three foot long piece of steel that had to weigh at least fifty pounds.

With an earsplitting roar, the meta swung at the other man with enough force to crack the emerald green forcefield and send him sliding backward several yards. Seeing that the interloper was sufficiently distracted, the gangsters went back to fighting each other.

The man in the green and black suit grit his teeth and a bar of green energy shot out from the forcefield. The meta dodged it easily and brought the steel down on the forcefield in a blow so powerful that it shattered, sending the man inside it reeling. Before he could react, the meta caught him in the gut with the bar, throwing him into the wall. He crumpled to the ground behind a pile of debris, unconscious.

"Shit," Oliver hissed, pulling a knockout arrow out his quiver. He fired it straight at the massive meta-human. It hit him in shoulder. The meta roared in pain and anger as the gas clouded around him, but he didn't fall. He didn't even stumble. He just glared around for the source of the attack. Oliver hit him with another arrow, but he still didn't go down. He just stumbled around, roaring in anger. Cursing again, Oliver jumped down to the street below, landing just in front of the debris that hid the unconscious man. He whipped out an arrow and fired right at the meta's chest. With an earsplitting cry of pain, the giant creature finally fell back, crashing into a pile of steel pipes.

The harsh musical cacophony of pipes clanging against each other caught the attention of warring gangsters. Almost as one, they looked over to where Oliver stood, his bow still raised. At the sight of him, the few gangsters that were still mobile, forgot about their war with each other in favor of taking down a common enemy. They weren't exactly happy with the Green Arrow's interference in their business.

Ducking the hail of bullets, Oliver threw himself on the ground behind the pile of dirt. Cursing under his breath, he examined the man lying beside him. Up close, he could see that the other man looked familiar, despite the mask covering his eyes. He didn't look injured, other than the knock on the head and the blow to the gut he'd obviously sustained. Oliver shook him roughly, trying to wake him. His head lolled from side to side, but he didn't wake.

"Damn it," Oliver hissed. A bullet struck the ground close to his hand. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the gangsters had moved and now had a much better angle on him. He cursed again and grabbed the man under the arm, trying to drag him to better cover. But a hail of bullets pinned him down. He touched his comm, reactivating it. "Sidekick, I've got a problem. I'm under heavy fire with a casualty, possibly a meta, definitely on our si-aargh!"

Pain shot through him and he fell to the ground hard, clutching his stomach.

"Arrow! What's your status?" Chloe demanded, panic in her voice.

Oliver lifted one hand away from his side. The leather of his glove was stained red. His vision started to go black. "Sidekick," he muttered, before passing out.

Back at the penthouse, Chloe was panicking. Though Oliver hadn't confirmed it, she knew he'd been shot. The camera feed from his glasses was still streaming. She'd seen his hand, covered in blood. Without second thought, she grabbed her phone and hit the speed dial. It only rang once.

"Hey mamac-"

"Not right now, Bart," she snapped. "I need your help. My friend's in trouble, under heavy gunfire and badly wounded. I need you to get him and another unconscious meta to my location."

"Where are you?"

Chloe gave him the address. There was a whoosh, and Bart, smiling despite the situation, was standing behind her. "Where are they?"

"Here," she pointed at the map. "I don't know what the other guy looks like, but my friend's the Star City vigilante."

"Green Arrow? Cool. Be back in a flash, 'licious." And he was gone.

That was why she had called him. Bart never asked questions. At least, not until she was done giving orders. Since meeting him in Smallville a year before Oliver showed up, the speedster had stopped by at least a couple of times a year to flirt shamelessly with her. When he realized that she was in on Clark's secret, Bart had almost tripped over himself to show her what he could do. He'd become a close friend, someone she knew she could count on. He'd proved that when he'd run all over the place looking for Oliver when he'd been missing.

Chloe waited, holding her breath and tapping her fingers nervously. The feed had cut out moments after she'd seen Oliver's bloody hand, so she had no idea what was going on. She had no idea how badly he was hurt, but she couldn't help but imagine the worst.

There was another whoosh and Bart reappeared, empty-handed. "I put him in the bedroom," he said before she could freak. "I'm gonna go back for the other guy."

Chloe immediately raced to Oliver's bedroom.

He was unconscious. His right side was covered in blood and what little of his skin she could see looked pale. Forcing herself not to freak out or throw up, Chloe hurried to his side and removed his sunglasses, tossing them on the bedside table. She unzipped his vest and pulled it off with some difficulty, throwing on the floor once she finally managed to remove it. She pulled one of the small knives out of his utility belt and cut his shirt.

The fabric fell away. The bullet wound was small, but gushing blood. Gritting her teeth, she slipped her fingers beneath him, lightly probing his skin. She blanched when her fingers brushed the exit wound. At least it was a through and through. She didn't think she'd have been able to deal with having to dig the bullet out of him.

Chloe took his already torn shirt and ripped it in two, stuffing one half beneath him and pressing the other to his stomach.

"What can I do, 'licious?" Bart asked, reappearing at her side with a gentle gust of wind.

She didn't even look at him. "First aid kit, in the bathroom under the cabinet."

Bart was back, first aid kit in hand, before she'd even finished speaking. He flipped it open and pulled out a large wad of gauze. Chloe piled the gauze on top of the shirt and continued pressing down on the mound of fabric.

"Go check on the other guy," she said, forcing herself to stay calm. "Make sure he doesn't freak out when wakes up here."

"Got it 'licious. Shout if you need me."

She nodded and increased the pressure on the wound. She had to stop the bleeding before she could bandage it. That much she knew from the multiple times she'd been injured herself and had watched the ER doctors patch her up. But the damn thing wouldn't stop bleeding. Biting back tears, she pressed down harder. Oliver groaned and winced slightly.

"Ollie," she whispered, reflexively letting up slightly as her eyes fixed on his face. "Ollie, come on. Talk to me."

"Chloe," he murmured. His eyes fluttered opened slightly and he looked at her blearily.

Keeping pressure on the wound with one hand, she gently touched his cheek. Her stomach rolled when her fingers left behind bloody marks on his skin. She forced herself to remain calm. "You're going to be all right," she said softly. "We just have to stop the bleeding. It's not a good shot. You'll be fine."

He grimaced. "Felt like a good one."

"Not funny," she admonished weakly.

"'s the other guy 'kay?" Oliver asked, his words garbled. His eyes were drifting shut again.

Chloe nodded and gently stroked his cheek. "He's fine. Ollie, I need you to stay awake for me, okay?"

Nodding slightly, he forced his eyes open. "Okay. How'd you get us out of there?"

"Called in a favor. Remember the guy I told you about who could run faster than Clark? He's got a crush on me so he'll do just about anything I ask him to."

Oliver laughed once, then winced and coughed, pain creasing his face. "That's cruel, sidekick," he managed to choke out. "Using him like that."

"I guess. But I was desperate." She caressed his cheek lightly. "You're going to be okay, Ollie."

His breathing became more labored. "I don't know, sidekick. Doesn't feel like I will."

"Don't talk like that," she snapped, tears coursing down her cheeks. "If you can survive an electrical meteor freak and two years on a deserted island, you can survive a bullet wound. Just don't give up."

But his eyes slid closed, even as she spoke and his breathing slowed.

"No!"

The word tore from her, splitting her heart in two as it passed from her lips. Forgetting about the need to keep pressure on the wound, Chloe grabbed his face between her hands. "Oliver, wake up! Wake up! You can't leave me. Not again. I love you, damn it!"

He didn't move.

Chloe pressed her forehead to his, dry sobs ripping from her chest. A single tear slid down her face and fell, landing on Oliver's cheek. The tear shimmered and glowed for a brief moment before disappearing. Suddenly, her hands began to glow with brilliant white light. She gasped in surprise and pulled back. The light began to spread along Oliver's body, sapping her energy as it spread. When it reached the still bleeding wound in his stomach, she felt pain knife through her in the exact same place. A strangled cry escaped her lips.

Blackness tugged at her consciousness, but she was still coherent enough to realize that she'd just discovered that she was a meteor freak.

"Bart!" she shouted, holding on to awareness with the last of her strength.

He zipped into the room. His eyes widened when he caught sight of her. "What's wrong, 'licious?"

"Meteor power," she muttered. "Healing or something. No hospitals. I don't know what the side effects will be. Just don't let Oliver freak out."

"All right," he said nervously.

"Thanks," she said just as the world went black.

_Author's Note: I, once again, find myself needing to apologize profusely for the delay in posting this. I fully intended to have it up sooner, especially considering the cliffhanger I left you with. But between studying for finals that turned out to be easier than I thought they would be, packing my dorm, and hauling everything downstairs alone, the time got away from me. Hopefully, now that it is summer, I will be better about updating, like I was with Twist of Fate and earlier in this fic, but unfortunately, I can't guarantee that. In just a few weeks, we're moving halfway across the country and the little time we have left here is going to be jam-packed. Luckily, since I'm at home so little, it doesn't actually center around me. I promise that come rain, sleet, snow, or movers who steal my laptop, I will get this fic finished._

_On a similar note, I promise - for whatever that's worth at this point, lol - that I will try not to get you waiting too long. But as we have all learned by this point, life likes to make me break these promises. So keep your fingers crossed! And review like crazy! I am seriously begging you._


	13. Chapter 12

**Title:** Gift of Fate

**Rating:** PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary:** Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning:** Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers:** The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: This picks up exactly where the last chapter ended, literally like three seconds after. Also, this is the longest chapter to date. I hope it's worth it._

Chapter 12

Oliver woke slowly. He felt groggy, as though he was struggling to wake from the deepest sleep of his life. Every muscle in his body was stiff. Groaning, he sat up and pressed a hand to his forehead. The last thing he remembered was Chloe bending over him, her face etched with concern. Before that, all he remembered was being stuck in the middle of a gang war and trying to drag the man with the glowing ring away from the gunfire after they'd become the targets. But he couldn't remember what had happened in between or why Chloe had been so worried.

A quiet noise alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone. Immediately, his eyes snapped open. Standing in the doorway, staring at him cautiously with slightly narrowed eyes, was a young man with a lithe runner's frame. He was dressed in a red hoodie and jeans and had an unconscious Chloe clutched his his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder. There was something almost protective about the way he was holding her.

"Who the hell are you?" Oliver demanded angrily, rising from the bed. He was fully aware of the fact that he was half dressed in his Green Arrow gear, but his weapons weren't going to do him any good with Chloe directly between them. She might get hurt. Frustrated, confused, and slightly freaked out, he drew himself up to his full height and attempted to look menacing. He glowered at the young man and took a few steps forward, his hands balled into fists in an attempt to keep his temper under control. "How the hell did you get in my house and what the hell are you doing with her?"

"Relax man," the kid said, tightening his grip on Chloe, pulling her protectively into his chest. "I'm just gonna lay 'licious down in the living room and then I'll explain."

"The hell I am," Oliver snapped, advancing on him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he processed the pet name the kid had used for Chloe and he didn't like the sound of it. "I'm not leaving her with you."

Rolling his eyes, the young man spun on his heel, disappearing in a red blur and returning before Oliver could even blink. He crossed his arms and smirked, a small hint of humor in his eyes. "I'm a friend, dude."

"You're the kid with super-speed," Oliver realized, the anger quickly draining from his body to be replaced by confusion. "Chloe told me about you."

"She did?" The kid positively lit up. "Awesome."

"What's your name?" Oliver demanded, beginning to feel impatient. He still couldn't remember what had happened in the alley or how he'd gotten back to the penthouse. All he knew was the somehow, in the process, Chloe had been knocked unconscious. He wanted to make sure that she was okay and he wanted to know what had happened to her, in that order.

"Bart Allen," the young man said easily, a cocky grin on his face. He seemed completely unaware of the tension rolling off the half dressed man in front of him. "What about you? Or do you just go by Green Arrow?"

Oliver hesitated slightly, but decided to trust Bart. Chloe obviously did. He offered the kid his hand. "Oliver Queen."

"How do you know 'licious?" Bart asked curiously.

"Long story," Oliver said, his impatience growing by the second. "What happened to Chloe?"

A troubled expression crossed the speedster's face and he began pacing the room. "I have no idea man. She called me when you got shot and I-"

"Shit!" Oliver hissed. He clutched his stomach, as the memories flooded back. He remembered getting shot and waking up in his room, Chloe bent over him. He could remember the pain stabbing through him every time he breathed. He could remember blacking out again under the overwhelming pain. He could remember thinking that he was going to die before getting a chance to tell Chloe that he still loved her, despite the time they'd spent apart.

But when he looked down, his fingers sliding over his abdomen, he saw that his skin was unmarked. There was plenty of dried blood caked on his skin, but there were no bandages, no bloody hole, not even a scar where he knew the bullet had hit him. It was as if it had never happened, as if he'd never been shot.

Bart was eyeing him carefully. "Are you okay, man?"

"I was shot," Oliver murmured. "I should be unconscious. Hell, I should probably be dead. What happened?"

"I wish I knew," Bart admitted. He collapsed on the edge of the bed, carefully avoiding the bloody sheets that he eyed with a grimace, and ran a hand through his brown hair. "Chloe sent me into the other room to keep an eye on the other guy while she was in here taking care of you. Next thing I know, she's shouting for me. I got here as fast as I could, which is pretty fast. Her hands were glowing and she was practically unconscious, but she muttered something about thinking that she had some kind of healing meteor power, right before she blacked out. I've never seen anything like that, dude. And I've seen a lot of metas."

Oliver felt like an iron band had closed around his heart. "A meteor power."

Bart nodded. "Yeah man. I can't say I'm surprised. Considering the number of times she's ended up around the stuff helping Stretch out. I mean, the amount of meteor rock she's been exposed to is crazy. But usually it takes something freaky to actually activate the power. Like a lightening bolt or a near death experience and as far as I know, she hasn't had any of those recently. I could be wrong though. Last time I checked, 'licious has a near death experience every other week-"

"Is she all right?" Oliver asked worriedly, cutting off Bart's ramble.

The speedster winced slightly. "I don't know," he admitted. "Her pulse was kinda weak when I picked her up. I'd have taken her to the hospital, but she said not to. "

The iron band tightened in Oliver's chest. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Go make sure the other guy's all right. If he wakes up tell him that Green Arrow brought him here because he got hurt and don't let him leave the room. I don't know if I can trust him with my identity. I'm going to check on Chloe."

A gust of air hit Oliver in the face and the kid was gone in a flash of red. Rubbing his temples, Oliver walked across the hall and grabbed the spare vest out of his secret room, pulling it on as he walked toward the living room. He trusted Bart because Chloe obviously trusted him. But Oliver wasn't so sure about the other guy and like he'd told Bart, he wasn't going to take unnecessary chances with his identity.

Chloe was lying on the couch. Her usually pale skin was ashen, completely bleached of color by the moonlight streaming in through the open balcony doors. She always kept them open when he was patrolling, unless the weather dictated otherwise. She said it was just in case something happened. He'd always laughed at her, until a few weeks ago when he'd missed the landing. If the glass doors had been shut, he'd have gone right through them. Chloe had given him that smug smile, made a snarky comment about his lack of grace, and left him sitting on the floor while she went to bed. He'd stared after her, utterly entranced.

Oliver knelt on the floor near her head. She looked like she was sleeping. Her expression was relaxed, free of both the concentration he often saw when she was working and the hint of worry he always saw when he donned his Green Arrow gear, despite how much she tried to hide it. He knew her face, her emotions, too well for her to fully succeed. Now, she looked completely at peace. A tiny smile pulled at his lips and he tenderly brushed her hair back from her face.

He instantly recoiled. Her skin was cold to the touch, almost lifeless. His heart hammered in his chest as he realized that her pallor wasn't just because of the moonlight gently caressing her. Panicking, he felt for a pulse. There wasn't one.

Time stopped. His heart stopped beating, constricting painfully in his chest and it became nearly impossible to breath. Tears course unbidden down his cheeks. Hesitantly, he reached out and cupped her cheek, running his fingers through her hair. There was no response. Not even the slightest twitch. Oliver's hands began to shake. He pulled her off the couch and into his lap, cradling her tightly as he pressed his face into her hair.

For so long he'd wanted to hold her like that, as more than a friend. They'd put up so many barriers, all for the sake of saving their relationship, but he'd honestly missed holding her and feeling her small, soft body pressed against him. It was such a simple, innocent gesture, but it was one he hadn't really shared with anyone else. Before her, he'd never been one for cuddling outside of sleeping with someone. Sure, he'd wrap an arm around their waist in public, even sit inappropriately close, their bodies pressed together. But simply hugging someone without any expectations beyond comfort and friendship was something he'd never done until Chloe. It was something he'd truly missed doing.

Chloe was the only person he'd ever met who could be with him and have absolutely no expectations beyond just hanging out when they were together, no matter what their relationship status had been. Now that he could finally hold her in his arms again without any repercussions on their relationship, she was dead. He was alive and she wasn't. Somehow she'd discovered a superpower that had given her the ability to bring him back from the brink of death, but in the process it had killed her.

His arms tightened around her convulsively. It wasn't fair. None of the meteor powers she'd told him about or he'd seen himself had that kind of side-effect. Why did Chloe, of all the people in the world, have to have the the one ability that could only be used once, the ability that would trade her life for his? She hadn't even known about it, that much Oliver was sure of. She would have told him, or at the very least told Bart something before she passed out...before she died.

He'd had nightmares about what might have happened to her while he was stuck on the island and unable to protect her. Sometimes she was hurt by meteor freaks and other times he dreamed that she had simply found someone else to share her life with. But he'd always believed that she'd still be in the world. With Clark there to protect her, it had seemed unlikely that she'd ever be in too much danger, despite the fact that she seemed to attract it. He'd even hoped that somehow she'd still be in his life if he ever got off the island whether or not she had moved on.

This was a future Oliver had never anticipated. He'd always thought that he'd be the one to die first, that the island would kill him before anything ever happened to Chloe. On the rare occasions that he'd had similar nightmares since his return, it was always about a bad guy who'd gotten the drop on him or was just plain lucky. There had always been a small voice in the back of his mind that said that being the Green Arrow would kill him one day, but it was a risk he had taken knowing that he was defending Chloe as much as anyone else.

The kicker was, the voice had been right after all. Being the Green Arrow had killed him. And in doing so it had killed Chloe. She had somehow managed to trade her life for his. In the end, it wasn't some psycho who'd hurt her. It was him. He had killed her.

Numbly, Oliver stood and carried Chloe into her bedroom. He almost walked into his own room - there was just something right about the idea of laying her in his bed - but then he remembered that the sheets were still covered in his blood. The thought of seeing it, of laying her on the clean side of the bed, nearly turned his stomach. Swallowing slowly, he walked into her room instead and placed her gently on the bed. He went into the bathroom down the hall and wet a rag. Returning to the bedroom, he sat gingerly on the edge of the bed and washed his blood off of from her hands. Her shirt was stained too, but he couldn't bring himself to go looking through her drawers to get her another one. So he pulled the sheet over her and tucked her. He could almost pretend she was sleeping if it weren't for the alarming pallor of her skin and her absolute lack of movement.

Unwilling to leave her, he grabbed a chair out of the corner and dragged it across the room. He sat as close to the bed as he could and took Chloe's cold, lifeless hand in his.

"Hey man," Bart said, walking into the room. "How's Chlo..." he trailed off when he caught sight of her. The blood drained from his face and his eyes became suspiciously bright. Without another word, he sped out of the room.

* * *

><p>Oliver wasn't sure how long he sat there, holding her cold hand in his. Bart poked his head in again after a while and stayed a little longer, just staring at Chloe, before once again speeding out of the room. The sun rose and hours passed, but Oliver didn't move. Tears continued to run down his cheeks until he had no tears left. Even then, he sat there, refusing to leave her, the only coherent thought in his mind that he had killed the woman he loved.<p>

Her alarm went off at seven, as it always did during the week. Generally, he'd already been up for a while and he almost always heard the high pitched beeping from the room where he did his work outs. Chloe would come stumbling out of her room, her eyes still clouded with sleep, and go straight for the kitchen and the coffee he made sure to start for her. They always sat down and had breakfast, or what passed as breakfast for them, together.

Tearing his eyes away from her pale face for the first time in hours, he shut the alarm off. Catching sight of the bloody rag he'd used to clean her hands lying on the floor where he'd dropped it, Oliver stood and picked it up, tossing the grisly reminder in the corner, out of sight.

He returned to his chair and sat down. He took her hand again, threading their fingers together. Her skin felt warmer. Only marginally so, but it was enough for him to notice the difference. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

Without warning, her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright gasping for breath. Her hand clutched his with an almost astonishing strength while the fingers of her other hand balled up the sheets. Oliver started so violently that he fell off his chair, hitting the floor with a loud thud. The noise made no impression on her. Chloe gazed around sightlessly, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath. Her breathing slowly became move even as the color returned to her skin. Picking himself up slowly, Oliver sat on the edge of the bed.

"Chloe?" he whispered.

Her eyes gradually focused on him. A beat passed and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh thank god," she whispered against his neck. "I thought I lost you."

Feeling her warm body pressed against his, Oliver felt the band that had been crushing his heart begin loosen. Before he could return the embrace, she pulled back, examining him closely. "What happened? Are you all right?"

Tentatively, he touched her cheek, almost expecting his hand to pass right through her even though he'd felt her arms around him. But her skin was warm and firm beneath his fingers. "You're alive?" he whispered.

"Shouldn't I be?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"You were dead," Oliver murmured.

"I was?"

He nodded, sliding his fingers into her hair, desperate for the tactile proof that she was alive. "Do you have any idea what happened?"

She shook her head. "Are you sure I was actually dead and not just unconscious?"

"You were definitely dead," he said grimly. "Chloe, what happened?" he asked again.

"I have no idea," she admitted. Her forehead creased and her eyes lost their focus as she concentrated. "I thought you were dying. You'd just lost consciousness, so I was trying to wake you up again. Then my hands started glowing and I realized that somehow I was healing you. It had to be a meteor power. That's the only explanation. How long was I..." she stumbled over the word and met his eyes again, "...dead?"

"Hours," he said softly. "I wasn't really paying attention. What set this off? Bart said there had to be some kind of catalyst."

"Bart's still here?" she asked incredulously. "I'd have thought he'd be gone by now. He's not the type to stay in one place. But he's right. It takes more than just being exposed to meteor rock. I have no idea what triggered this, but it had to have been something. I just don't know. What happened after I passed out?" Her voice was almost timid.

His fingers tightened in her hair and he pulled her closer, pressing their foreheads together. "You didn't just pass out. You were dead. For hours you laid on this bed with no pulse and you weren't breathing. Your skin was cold and you were literally turning blue. You were dead, Chloe. Don't trivialize that."

Finally realizing just how panicked he'd been, Chloe moved closer to him. His eyes were red-rimmed and she might have thought that it was because he hadn't been sleeping. Then she saw the tear-stains on his face. Her heart nearly broke. Oliver had always seemed so unshakeable. After everything that had happened to him, he'd still been an amazingly strong person. She'd been the one to break him. Biting back tears at the revelation, she wrapped her arms around his neck again. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's still hard for me to realize that I was actually dead. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know," he whispered, tugging her closer still and wrapping his arms around her. "I never wanted to see you like that." He pulled away to eye her carefully. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She nodded emphatically. "I'm perfectly fine. Waking up was a little weird," she admitted, knowing that if he suspected she was keeping anything back that he'd just keep asking her about it. He deserved to know everything she knew, however little that was. "It was like being born, I guess. I felt like everything hit me at once and it was kind of disorienting. But it passed. Now I'm just a little thirsty." She offered him a small smile that he didn't return. "Are you all right?" Chloe asked gently.

"Still a little freaked," he admitted with a hesitant smile. "You were dead, Chloe, and now you're not. Meteor freaks and psychotic bad guys have nothing on that. I want a doctor to look at you. I know someone who deals with meta humans. I've been meaning to introduce you. I just..." his voice faltered. "I need to know that you're okay."

"No complaints here," Chloe chuckled. She buried her face against his chest, her arms locking around his neck. "I'm so glad you're alive. I thought I was going to lose you, Ollie."

He squeezed her tightly. "Me too. You really scared me, sidekick."

"Sorry."

"Not your fault."

"I'm still sorry. I know how it felt when I thought you were dying. The last thing I wanted was for you to have to feel that. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen."

"I know," he assured her. "Despite everything, I'm glad you did. Being dead would have sucked."

Chloe laughed slightly and the smile he'd been trying for graced her lips. "Definitely. Just, don't do it again any time soon."

"That won't be a problem. There's no way I'm going to risk having you die to save me again."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Which doesn't mean that something won't happen and if it does, I'm not going to just sit by and do nothing."

Unbidden, the image of her cold, lifeless body rose to the forefront of Oliver's mind and his entire body tensed. That wasn't something he ever wanted to see again. He opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it when he saw the look in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to consider her words.

What she said was truer than he liked to admit. His work as the Green Arrow was dangerous and he risked his own life every time he put on the leather uniform. It was inevitable that he was going to get hurt and that sometimes he would be hurt badly. Chloe was simply saying that when that happened, she was going to do whatever she could to help him. As much as he wanted to argue, Oliver knew that if he were in her shoes, he would do the same thing, and he really had no right to ask her not to use her abilities.

"I still want a doctor to check you out," he said firmly. "And if this power has any permanent side-effects, then we'll talk again."

Sensing that she had won the argument and recognizing the logic of his words, Chloe nodded. "Deal."

He relaxed. "In the mean time, I'm just glad that you're all right."

"Same here," she said softly, hugging him tightly again.

A slight tap on the door broke the moment and they pulled apart reluctantly. Oliver glanced over his shoulder to see Bart standing in the doorway, refusing to actually look into the room. He was fidgeting and his eyes looked slightly red, as though he'd been crying. It was the first time Chloe had seen him without his trademark grin plastered across his face.

Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe placed a finger over his mouth and shot him a mischievous look before leaning over his shoulder. "Everything all right, Bart?"

At the sound of her voice, the speedster spun around. His eyes widened when he saw Chloe sitting up, awake and alive. His mouth fell open and in a move so fast that Oliver didn't see it, Bart zipped into the room and pulled Chloe into a hug.

"You're all right!" he yelled in jubilation, twirling her around.

"Yes, I'm all right. Put me down!" she giggled.

He obliged, but he didn't let her go. "Damn it, 'licious. You scared me. What was that? Some kind of freaky meteor power?"

"Apparently," she shrugged. "When I know more, so will you."

"Well whatever it was, it was weird," Bart said decisively. "Next time give me a little more warning, huh?"

She laughed. "I think we all could have used some more warning."

"That's for sure," Oliver grumbled.

Chloe shot him a look and disentangled herself from Bart's arms. "How's our guest?" she asked.

"Oh!" he said as though he'd just remembered. "I think he's waking up. That's why I came in here. I thought I'd tell Jolly Green before jetting." He blushed slightly. "I kinda needed to get away from..." he stumbled slightly over his words before going on. "I need to get back home and there are some tacos calling my name down in Mexico," he added, unwilling to actually admit how much Chloe's apparent death had scared him. But that didn't keep her from understanding his meaning.

She rolled her eyes and glared at him good-naturedly. "Always thinking of your stomach," she teased. "Thanks for the help with everything. I owe you one, Bart."

He grinned broadly, as if she'd just made his day. "Anything for you, 'licious. See you around, or look me up if you're ever down in Mexico."

With one last eyebrow waggle, he disappeared. Chloe giggled and sat down on the bed beside Oliver, practically in his lap. He immediately wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You weren't kidding when you said he had a thing for you," he chuckled. "You hung the moon for that kid."

"Don't tell me you're jealous," she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Definitely not. He is absolutely no competition."

"Green doesn't always look good on you, just so you know."

"Are you kidding. Green looks great on me."

She gave him an impish smile. "Maybe it does when it's leather, but not when it's a little monster. Anyway, we should go see about that other guy. When he wakes up in a strange place he's going to be worried about his identity. He'll be on edge and probably freaking out. Speaking of which," her eyes sparkled, "you might want to hang back. You're a little scary with that distorter and the glasses."

"Yeah, but I'm a fellow hero," he retorted, immensely relieved that she was not only alive, but teasing him as she always did. "We're on the same side."

"But he doesn't know that," she pointed out. "We'll go together, just to be sure. Come on, Robin Hood. Let's go."

As she stood to leave the room, Oliver had a moment of clarity. He realized something that he should have known all along. He didn't need to prove anything to her. Somehow, in the process of trying to get his relationship with Chloe back, he'd completely forgotten the reason they'd agreed to take a step back. It hadn't been because they were unsure of their feelings for each other. They had both needed to come to terms with the ways they'd changed during the two years they'd been apart. But the only person he needed to prove something to was himself. It was no wonder she was holding back. Chloe could read him better than anyone, and whether she realized it or not, she must have known that he wasn't quite ready. He wouldn't have been surprised to find that she had known he was ready and was just waiting for him to see it too. It had certainly taken him long enough.

His life was dangerous. He'd accepted the risks when he decided to go up against the crime and corruption plaguing the city. From the first time he put on the green leather of his uniform, he'd known exactly what it might cost him in the long run. The one thing he hadn't considered was that he couldn't afford to put anything off until later. Oliver felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner, especially with all the loved ones he had lost. He of all people should have had known just how easy it was to run out of time. Yet, somehow, that hadn't sunk in until he almost lost Chloe.

The guy he'd been before he met Chloe wouldn't have hesitated to tell her how he felt. Ironically, she was the reason he'd actually started giving thought to what he said and did and the lasting effects it could have on a relationship. It was time to stop thinking so much. He'd gone from one extreme to the other, from following his impulses and chasing his desires to relying on logic and analysis. In the process, he'd fooled himself into thinking that he'd found balance. He'd never even realized that he was over-thinking anything, thought now it was clear that was exactly what he was doing. The only impulsive, desire-driven move Oliver had made with her was the decision to start a relationship in the first place. It was time to stop thinking so much and just go with it.

Barely a moment had passed while those thoughts swirled around Oliver's head. Chloe was still in mid-step, barely a foot away from him. Throwing caution to the winds, he grabbed her hand and spun her around, pulling her back into his lap. She let out a soft gasp of surprise, but he quickly silenced her, crushing her lips beneath his.

Caught completely off-guard, she stiffened for only the briefest moment before readily responding to the kiss. Her hand tangled in his hair and she shifted on his lap, pushing herself closer to him, pressing their chests together. Oliver wrapped an arm about her waist, pulling her still tighter against him. Never once did their lips stop moving together.

When oxygen became a necessity, Chloe broke the kiss. She leaned her forehead against his, panting heavily.

"What do you say?" Oliver asked softly, his breathing as ragged as hers. "Do you think we're finally ready?"

She chuckled and pressed another quick kiss to his lips. "You know you totally just ruined my plans? I was all set to sweep you off your feet tomorrow."

"Really?" He ran his fingers through her hair. "Well, I'm glad this worked out, because I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one making the romantic gestures."

"Sexist," Chloe admonished softly, slapping his chest in gentle admonishment.

He shook his head. "Just old-fashioned when it comes to certain things."

Another quiet laugh escaped her lips and she leaned against him. "We should have done this sooner."

"Sorry it took me so long," he whispered, still feeling like an idiot.

"It wasn't just you. I was afraid of losing you again," she admitted. "I'd rather have you in my life as a friend than not at all. If that was all you wanted, or all we could be after everything, I was willing to settle for it, even if my feelings for you were more than just friendship."

"Funny," Oliver said softly. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

Grinning broadly, Chloe slipped off his lap. "Which is why we go so well together. And why we'll eventually drive each other crazy. What do you say we save the rest of this conversation for later and go check on our guest before he panics and does something we'll all regret?"

Shaking his head and laughing softly, he slid an arm around her waist, unwilling to let her more than a few inches away from him. She grinned up at him and pulled his hood up, gently running her fingers through his hair as she did. He pressed a kiss to her forehead then slid his glasses on. She pulled away, but hooked her fingers through his, and pulled him out of the room. He took no offense since they were gong to check on the other hero. He knew she was just trying to keep things businesslike while succumbing to the seemingly mutual need to be close to one another. Together, they walked into guest bedroom where Bart had deposited the stranger.

"Any idea what his powers are?" she asked under her breath.

He shrugged. "No clue. Just that they have something to do with the ring he's wearing. It looked like it could emit some kind of energy field or something."

"That's about it in a nutshell," the man groaned. He sat up slowly and glanced around warily. "Where the hell am I?"

"Some place safe," Chloe said softly. "Green Arrow found you under attack when he was out on patrol. He brought you here after you got knocked out."

"You were about to be taken out by some kind of supercharged metahuman," Oliver added, his voice deep and distorted once more. "And if I hadn't gotten you, the gangsters would have. That was one hell of fight you were in the middle of."

"Thanks for the help," The man said, grimacing slightly as he stood up. "I'm the Green Lantern, by the way. I take it you're the Green Arrow."

Oliver stretched out a hand. "Nice to meet a fellow hero."

"Who's the chick?"

Wincing internally at the term chick, Oliver started to respond, but said chick cut him off.

"I'm the brains of the operation," Chloe said smoothly.

"Hey!" Oliver objected. "I'm not just the brawn."

She patted his arm. "Yeah, you pretty much are."

"Who's idea was all of this?" he demanded, gesturing at the leather of his costume.

"But who made it all work out?"

"Hey, I had to come up with the designs."

"Which you showed to me so that I could make sure they'd work."

"You were as lost as I was."

"That would be why I told you to find someone who actually knew what they were doing," she said as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"So how can you take credit for anything?" he challenged.

"I'm the one that talked you out of the more ridiculous designs and, while you might have come up with many of the ideas and worked out most of the complications, I'm the one that keeps you alive when you're out patrolling."

Green Lantern interrupted with a chuckle. "You two together or something?"

"Definitely together," Chloe answered with a broad smile. Now that it was obvious that the other hero was relaxed, she seemed comfortable telling the truth. She easily slipped her arm around Oliver's waist and leaned into him. "He'd be lost without me," she teased. "I'm here to make sure he doesn't do something stupid."

"I'm not just the brawn," Oliver reiterated.

"You just keep telling yourself that," Chloe smirked, patting his arm again.

He rolled his eyes, despite the fact that the gesture couldn't be seen from behind his glasses, and turned his attention back to the other hero. "What were you doing down there, anyway? That's one of the biggest crime hotspots in the city, even without the gang war. And I don't think I've seen you around before."

Green Lantern shrugged. "I was in town so I thought I'd take down some of the local criminals and I got in a little over my head. As I'm sure you noticed."

"Yeah, we noticed," Chloe said dryly. "How'd you get your powers?"

He smirked. "I was recruited into an intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corp, hence my code name, by a dying alien. Basically, I patrol this side of the galaxy when I can get away from work. What about you two? What powers to you have?"

"I don't have any," Oliver said. "We're not so sure about her."

Chloe elbowed him in the ribs. "I can apparently heal people. But it's a recent development, so mostly I just handle the tech angle."

"Are you good with tech?" Green Lantern asked curiously.

Oliver laughed and looked down at Chloe admiringly. "She's the best."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I spent a lot of time in high school hacking into anything and everything in my pursuit of truth and it comes in handy as a reporter. I've only met one person who can out hack me and he's half computer."

"You're a reporter?" The incredulity in the other man's voice was clear. He seemed surprised that the confidante and partner of Green Arrow was a reporter.

A Cheshire-cat smile smile spread across Chloe's lips. "Growing up in a place like Smallville, Kansas with a friend like the Blur, you learn to keep secrets and tell the difference between the truth that the world needs to know and the truth that needs to stay secret for the world's benefit. I'm privy to at least five superhero secret identities and none of them have been outed in anyway. Not by me at least."

He raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean to offend you. But you can't blame me for being skeptical of a reporter involved in a secret society of superheroes."

"I don't," she assured him. "But I'm a sidekick first and foremost and a reporter second."

Green Lantern nodded, obviously satisfied with her explanation. "Then would you mind playing sidekick for me just this once? I could really use some help tracking this guy, Dr. Fitzgerald, down. It's the main reason I'm in Star City. I think he's linked to some disappearances across the country, but definitely in the one town up north. The only problem is, I can't find him. He completely disappeared once he got here. My contacts have completely dried up and I don't have time to check out every Dr. Fitzgerald in Star City, let alone the surrounding cities."

"So you want me to see if I can track him down using my hacking skills," Chloe guessed.

"That's about it." He grinned almost self-deprecatingly. "Give me a piece of complex machinery or ask me to navigate, and I'm good. But ask me to work a computer beyond turning it on and getting on Google, and I'm completely useless."

Oliver chuckled. Chloe elbowed him the ribs and glared at him. "Hacking is definitely harder than it looks. Once you know how to do it, it's relatively easy though. Give me the information you have on this guy and I should be able to find him if he's in the city. I'll even be able to tell you if he's been active recently and if I really try hard, I can tell you if he's been working in other cities."

Grinning broadly, Green Lantern produced a flash drive from somewhere and handed it to her. "Everything I know is on there."

"How can we contact you once she's found something?" Oliver asked.

"Tell you what," the other hero shrugged. "Meet me on top of the Register Sunday night at midnight. Whether you have anything or not, we'll touch base. I may have to head out relatively soon, but I won't know until later. If I do need to head out, I'll come up with a way for us to get in contact."

"Sounds good," Oliver agreed. "I'll see you there."

The two heroes shook hands, then Green Lantern turned to go. Oliver grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"No offense," he said, his distorter turning his words into a growl. "But I need this place to stay secret."

Green Lantern nodded. "No problem. But how am I supposed to get out of here?"

Oliver hadn't thought of that. He glanced back at Chloe, hoping she had an answer. To his chagrin, her eyes were trained on her phone. A few seconds passed and she looked up, a twinkle in her eyes that usually meant she had a plan.

Before he had a chance to ask her what she was up to, a burst of air hit him in the face and Bart Allen materialized in the middle of the room. He grinned at Chloe and draped an arm over her shoulders.

"I knew you'd need me again, but if you'd told me it was gonna be this soon, I'd have just stuck around, 'licious."

She rolled her eyes. "I just need you to give Green Lantern a lift to wherever he wants to go in the city. For security purposes only."

Said hero was eyeing Bart's wiry frame with clear trepidation. "How did he get in here?"

"I ran," Bart said with a smirk.

"You ran," Lantern repeated flatly.

"He ran," Chloe confirmed. "He's been known to circle the globe, just for the fun of it, in under five minutes. His is one of the secret identities that I mentioned earlier."

Green Lantern still looked a little suspicious of traveling via Bart express, but he nodded. "All right. I don't need to go anywhere specific. As long as it's somewhere downtown so I can get back to my hotel."

"Works for me," Bart said happily. Without any warning, he zipped across the room, grabbed Green Lantern around the waist, and ran out of the room with a trademark gust of wind.

There was a beat of silence, then Oliver switched off his distorter. "Whoever that guy is, he's seriously going to regret traveling with Bart. If he's fast than Clark, I'm not sure I could handle it."

"Good thing you were unconscious then, huh?" Chloe teased, suppressing a yawn. Rubbing her forehead tiredly, she shuffled toward the kitchen. The events of the day were starting to get to her. Apparently dying and coming back to life was exhausting. Oliver followed close behind her.

"What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously when he saw her setting up the coffee pot.

She measured out the grounds and dumped them in the filter. "What's it look like?"

His hand fell over hers, keeping her from turning on the faucet. "You should be getting some sleep, Chloe. You were dead for at least six hours, and before that you'd been up for almost twenty-four. You don't need coffee."

"I still have work today," she said tiredly. "Believe me, Ollie, I wish I could just call in and spend the day sleeping, but my editor has been breathing down my neck. He's keeping me on because my pieces are strong, despite the fact that I spend less time in the office than anyone else at my pay grade. I doubt he'll think highly of me if I'm taking the day off for no reason."

"Then tell him you're sick," Oliver said gently. His hands fell to her hips and he gently turned her so that she was facing him. "It's not that far off considering what happened tonight. Besides," he added, pressing a kiss to her neck. "I can think of other uses for our time than working on our first official day as a couple in over two years."

She shuddered at the feel of his lips brushing against her skin. "That doesn't sound very restful."

"Maybe not," he chuckled. "But I think it's something we both need. God knows I wanted it for years. Resting will just come later." He kissed her gently, just behind her ear, and she shivered, her head dropping to the side reflexively. "We have all weekend to sleep. But if you go to work, you'll really be too tired for anything."

Chloe had to admit that he made a compelling argument. Going into the Register didn't sound the least bit appealing. Spending the day with Oliver was something she'd dreamt of for months. The feel of his lips on her neck was more than enough to make her decision.

Tearing herself away from him, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the Register. Oliver watched with narrowed eyes, taking in her rosy cheeks and slightly accelerated breathing.

When someone answered, she simply said, "Tell the editor that I'm sick and won't be coming in today."

Without waiting for an answer, she hung up and shoved her phone back in her pocket. Turning back to Oliver, she raised an eyebrow. "So what exactly did you have planned for today?"

Smirking almost wolfishly, he crossed the space between them in two strides, swept her into his arms, and hauled her against him. Chloe wrapped her legs around his waist automatically. His hand buried in her hair and his lips crashed down on hers in a bruising kiss full of two years worth of pent up passion, desire, and lust. Chloe trembled at his touch and kissed him back with just as much enthusiam.

For a long moment, they stood there, intertwined in each other. Finally Oliver pulled away, breathing heavily, and said. "I plan to do something I should have done a long time ago."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: First, the AN at the beginning of the fic was because jessicajay703 pointed out to me that it didn't make sense that Bart was still in the room with Oliver and Chloe. The way I see it is that barely any time has passed, like literally seconds, and he didn't want to speed Chloe out of the room because he wasn't sure what was wrong with her. In the end, he does because he's worried that Oliver will do something stupid. I hope that makes sense.<em>

_Second, Thank you so much for sticking with me through all of this. I know I've mentioned this in some of my responses, but I really did not intend for it to take so long to get Oliver and Chloe back together. There was just so much to do before they could. I really felt that I had to tie up the loose ends of what had happened during the two years between fics and with what happened with Tess and Jimmy, and I felt that Oliver needed to become Green Arrow first. All of that took far more time to cover than I thought I would and I know that I was waiting with bated breath until the time when I could write them getting back together, so I can't even begin to imagine what you guys were going through waiting for it to happen. So thank you for keeping with me. I hope it was worth the wait and that what happened in this chapter, and what will happen in the next will help make up for the delay in Chlollie togetherness._


	14. Chapter 13

**Title:** Gift of Fate

**Rating:** PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary:** Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning:** Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers:** The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_**Author's Note: NC-17 WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SMUT. NO ONE UNDER EIGHTEEN IS ALLOWED! This is my first attempt at smut so it may not be that great, but it is still smut.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

Chloe couldn't keep the smile off her face. She'd been waiting years for their relationship to reach this point. In high school, Oliver had been worried about the repercussions of having sex given his past history of meaningless flings. Since Chloe was his first serious relationship, he'd wanted to be sure that they were both ready before taking that step. She'd completely understood and she doubted that she would have been ready to have sex back then even if he had. It wasn't something she had wanted to rush into either. By the time summer had rolled around, they might have been ready to talk about it, but his disappearance had destroyed any plans they might have made.

When he'd finally gotten back, they'd once again had an iron clad reason for taking things slowly. In fact, it had been almost the same reason as before. They were just trying to maintain their relationship. Having sex would change their relationship on a fundamental level. But after being apart for two years and the misunderstandings that had followed, that hadn't seemed like a good idea. Still...she'd wanted it. She'd longed for the sense of closeness it would bring.

Now that they were finally on the same page, Chloe began to feel nervous. She wasn't exactly experienced. The only people who'd given her a second look in high school, before Oliver at least, had been psychos hell bent on killing her. While he'd been missing, she hadn't even been able to bring herself to look at other guys, let alone sleep with them. Oliver on the other hand...saying that he had experience was putting it lightly. He'd definitely lived up to the role of the stereotypical horny teenager. He'd willing admitted as much in some of their late night conversations. Ever self conscious, Chloe couldn't help but be nervous and worry that she'd do something wrong.

Sensing her hesitation and misinterpreting it, Oliver drew away, putting a good four feet between them. The faint, unfamiliar heat of a blush rose to his cheeks. He'd moved too fast. He should have known that sleeping together less than an hour after finally admitting their feelings for each other wouldn't be a good idea. It probably hadn't helped much that they had both had near death experiences within the last twelve hours. He'd let himself get carried away. It was all well and good to follow his impulses and not rely solely on logic when he remembered to balance them. Once again, he'd done a complete one-eighty instead of finding the middle.

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Feeling insecure in a relationship was something that he wasn't used to, so in a weird way it made sense that Chloe would be the one to make him insecure. Considering how much trouble they'd had in their relationship, Oliver decided not to push his luck with her. "I don't want to push you into anything if you're not ready," he said softly. "So I'm going to take a shower. You should get some sleep."

Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead then turned and walked out of the kitchen before Chloe could process what he'd said and formulate an answer.

Once in his room, Oliver dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his temples. Being in a committed relationship the right way was much more difficult than he thought it would be. He was going to have to keep his hormones in check if he wanted it to work. After so many years of being sexually frustrated, he wasn't sure how well he was going to be able to do that.

He sighed heavily and dropped his head against the door. As he did, he caught sight of the bloody sheets and realized that he hadn't been in his bedroom since Chloe's apparent death. Too tired to deal with it right then, he grabbed a change of clothes, careful not to look at the bed. Locking the door behind him, he walked tiredly into the bathroom down the hall. He slowly stripped out of his uniform, grimacing when he pulled his under-shirt over his head and saw the dried blood still caked to his skin, as if he needed something else to remind him of what had happened. Maybe it was a good thing Chloe had been hesitant to have sex. She probably would have stopped short the moment he took off his shirt and she saw all the dried blood. That wouldn't have been very romantic.

The searing hot water of the shower rinsed away most of the blood and he scrubbed off the rest. Oliver leaned his head against the tile. He'd never been more confused or lost. He literally had no idea what he was doing with Chloe. He was either thinking too much or not enough and he always seemed to be doing the wrong thing with her. Maybe it was because she was the one person he wanted to do things right with, but whatever the reason was, it was really getting on his nerves.

When the water ran cool, he shut it off and stepped out of the shower. He was beginning to feel numb and he barely felt the towel against his skin as he dried himself off. Oliver mechanically pulled on sweats and a t-shirt. Running a hand through his hair, he padded down the hall to the same guest room that Bart had left the Green Lantern in and stopped short in the doorway.

Chloe was sitting on the edge of the bed. She'd changed too, probably realizing that her shirt had his blood on it. Now she was wearing her pajamas. Oliver had to force himself not to look at the enticing amount of leg her shorts revealed. He'd never realized quite how short those things were. They were almost hidden by her over-sized t-shirt, which he recognized as one of his. She wasn't looking at him. In fact, her attention seemed to be fixed on a loose string on her shirt. Her nimble fingers were toying with the thread, twirling it around. Her hair, which had been pulled back for work, was loose about her shoulders. She looked comfortable and relaxed. If he hadn't known any better, he'd have thought that it was any other night. But the strange tingling up and down his spine told him otherwise.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked softly, when he finally found his voice.

Chloe finally looked up, a small smile on her face. "I wasn't really tired."

"You look exhausted," he pointed out.

She shrugged. "Maybe I'm still running on adrenaline, because I don't feel like going to sleep."

He nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. He wanted to ask why she wasn't in her room, getting some sleep, but a small voice in the back of his head warned him that if he did, he'd just complicate things further. So he just stood there, trying not to look at her.

Chloe arched an eyebrow. "You left the kitchen pretty quickly," she said with exaggerated nonchalance. "What happened?"

He stiffened at her words. "I didn't think you were ready."

"And what gave you that idea?"

He didn't answer. He didn't know what to say.

Chloe gazed at him for a moment. He looked uncomfortable. If he'd been wearing jeans, his hands would have been stuffed in his pockets, and he was barely making eye contact with her. She'd realized the instant that he walked out of the kitchen that he'd misunderstood her hesitation. What had just been expected anxiety about something that was going to fundamentally change a relationship that was so important to both of them, he had seen as a sign that she wasn't ready. She could have kicked herself for not realizing what was going through his head sooner, but by the time she'd processed his words and his actions, he'd already been in the shower. So she'd gone into her room, changed, and returned to his bedroom to wait for him. The door had been locked, but then she'd heard sound of the shower from the guest room and had gone to wait for him there.

The silence remained unbroken. Oliver was looking at the floor, his head down. She could see that he was tense and she could guess the reason. He wasn't sure what to do. From his point of view, she was sending him some seriously mixed signals.

Biting her lip, she rose from the bed and closed the distance between them. Oliver looked up in surprise as she looped her arms around his waist. She smiled up at him. "Ollie, I'm ready for this. I really am. What gave you the idea that I wasn't?"

He looked down at her in confusion. "You just didn't seem ready," he said softly.

"I'm nervous," she admitted, staring at his chest instead of meeting his eyes. "We've both waited so long, I want to do this right and...well...I've never done this."

"Oh," he whispered. Gritting his teeth, he dared to ask the kind of question a guy rarely asked a girl. "Chloe, are you...are you a virgin?"

Chloe's face turned bright red, but she looked up to meet his gaze. "Well it's not like I was going to sleep with the meteor infected psychos who came after me in high school and I was still too hung up on you when you were on that damn island to even look at anyone else. So yes. I'm a virgin. I'm also ready for this."

In an attempt to prove her point, she slid her arms up his back and pulled him down, planting a slow passionate kiss on his lips. For someone without much experience in lovemaking of any kind, she was incredible. Oliver responded eagerly. Her touch had been slowly driving him crazy ever since she had closed the distance between them. One of her hands slid beneath his shirt, caressing his skin. He let out a reflexive groan, stepping closer to her. Emboldened, Chloe slipped her tongue into his mouth. She arched her body against him, stroking his tongue with hers.

And then she pulled away, leaving both of them panting slightly. She looked up into Oliver's lust-darkened eyes and whispered, "I'm ready."

Oliver chuckled and kissed her once, hard and swift. "I believe you."

"So now what?" she asked, genuinely at a loss for what to do next. She knew what she'd read in books and seen in movies, but she wasn't sure that was what she was supposed to do. It seemed better to let Oliver take the lead.

In a smooth, easy movement, he swept her into his arms. Chloe giggled, instinctively latching her arms around his neck. He leaned his forehead against hers as he cradled her close. "You want to know the truth?" he whispered. "I've been wanting this since before graduation."

"That's a long time," she said, sounding slightly stunned. She'd only ever suspected that they might have started talking about it that summer, not that they would have ended up sleeping together.

Oliver shrugged easily. "I wanted to prove that I trusted you in every way, and I wanted to prove that I cared about you enough to risk everything on you."

His words and his manner seemed to indicate that what he'd just said was unimportant, but his eyes said differently. They were almost gleaming with intensity. Chloe's face softened and she kissed him on the cheek. "I already knew that."

"Yeah, well, I was eighteen and slightly insecure," he chuckled. "Back then, I felt like I had something to prove." He paused slightly as he realized that that might have been why he'd felt like he had something to prove this time around too. It was almost like unfinished business. At least he'd finally figured things out.

"You, insecure?" Chloe teased. "Perish the thought."

He captured her lips again, as gently as he could. "There's only one person who can do that to me. She's the only person I care about enough to be worried about what she might think of me."

"How do you always know the right thing to say?" Chloe whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I don't," he admitted. "I just try to be honest with you."

Chloe looked up, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "Don't ever stop."

"Never."

Oliver kissed her again. On a whim, he carried her back to her room. There was something about the idea of sleeping with her in the impersonal guest room that rubbed the wrong way. He kicked the door shut behind him. Pulling back the covers with one hand, her lowered her onto the bed. The early morning light streamed in through the window, infusing her skin with color. Knowing that they'd eventually end up asleep, he crossed the room and closed the blinds. Only the slightest amount of light filtered in through the blinds, enough to see by. Chloe's eyes followed him as he moved. For the first time in years, Oliver found himself nervous about having sex with someone. Chloe meant more to him than everyone else he'd been with combined. He wanted everything to be perfect.

Remembering something, he turned to Chloe and said, "I'll be right back," before hurrying out to the living room. There was a chance that Hal would stop by. Oliver had no idea why his friend was in town or when he'd come over. Hal was known for showing up at the oddest times. It had led to Oliver getting caught in some interesting positions with girls before. In the past, Oliver had just shouted at him to leave and they'd have a laugh about it later. He wasn't about to risk Hal walking in on him having sex with Chloe. So he keyed in the code to lock the elevator on the ground floor. Hal would just have to come back later.

Chloe was propped up on her elbows when he returned, her eyebrow cocked. "What was that about?"

"Just making sure we don't have any visitors," he said with a grin, sitting down beside her.

"Oh. Good idea."

Oliver laughed. "I thought so."

For a moment, they just looked each other. Silence filled the room as they stared into each other's eyes. Then, Oliver leaned forward, sliding closer to her, and pressed a kiss to the base of her neck. A shudder ran through her and her head lolled reflexively to one side. Slowly, he trailed kisses up her neck, to her jawline, to the corner of her mouth. Chloe let out a small noise of protest when he stopped short of her mouth. He grinned and pushed her back against the sheets before leaning over her.

"We're going to do this right," he whispered, once again kissing the base of her neck.

Chloe had no idea what that meant, but she didn't complain. The feel of his lips on her skin was driving all rational thought from her mind. Acting on impulse, she threaded one hand through his hair and grasped his shoulder with the other, trying to anchor herself to reality.

After a moment, Oliver propped himself up on his hands, hovering over her. "Are you really sure?" he asked once more.

Groaning in frustration, Chloe surprised him by hooking her leg around his waist and flipping him onto his back so that she was straddling him. "Yes, damn it. How many times do I have to say that? I'm ready!"

"I'm just making sure," he said soothingly, reaching up to stroke her hair. "Sex is never easy the first time," he pointed out.

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped. "Lois made sure I knew that a long time ago. So make up your mind already and either do something or stop getting me all riled up!"

Oliver smirked and flipped them back over. "All right then. And for the record, I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered, her irritation draining away.

"We'll go slow," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "And I want you to tell me if I hurt you."

She rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. "I will."

His lips descended on hers again and he kissed her slowly. One arm slid beneath her waist. He pulled her into a sitting position and his hands fell to her sides. He began toying with the hem of her shirt, slipping his fingers beneath the fabric to brush the soft skin of her stomach. She shivered at the feel of his light touches; every hair on her body was standing on end in response to the sensations of his calloused hands on her body.

He deepened the kiss slowly, sucking her bottom lip into his into his mouth and caressing it slightly with his tongue. Chloe moaned in the back of her throat, fire racing through her. She fisted her hand in his hair, clutching at him tightly. He had to suppress a groan of his own. His hand slid up her side, brushing against the underside of her breasts. His palm itched to feel them with no fabric in the way. Her back arched and she shuddered as tension coiled in the pit of her stomach.

Breaking the kiss, Oliver looked deep into her eyes. Slowly, lightly dragging his fingers up her sides, he raised her shirt. He paused slightly before baring her breasts, sucking in his breath in anticipation he'd rarely felt with a woman. She raised her arms, allowing him to pull the fabric over her head. He tossed it over his shoulder to land in a heap on the floor. Chloe suddenly realized that she was sitting, half-naked, in front of Oliver. She'd never been overly comfortable with her body. After years of being overlooked in favor of Lois and Lana, she'd come to the conclusion that there was something wrong with her. Being with Oliver had helped her become more comfortable with who she was, but she was still unsure of herself. Reflexively, she crossed her arms over her chest.

Gently, he took her wrists in his hands and drew them away from her body. He kissed them lightly, then held them against her sides while he stared at her body in amazement. Her skin was flawless and she was as prefect as he had imagined. Blushing under his scrutiny, Chloe dropped her gaze, looking anywhere but at Oliver and waiting for him to find something wrong with her. He slipped a finger under her chin, forcing her eyes back to him.

"Hey," he whispered. "Don't be embarrassed. You're absolutely beautiful. I don't want you to be uncomfortable with me. There must be something seriously wrong with all the guys in Smallville if only the crazy ones could see what I see."

She blushed more deeply, still trapped in her insecurities. Even though she wanted to believe him, she'd never turned heads before. No one had ever noticed her. Except Oliver, and he had dated supermodels. How could she measure up to that?

Reading the expression on her face and the apprehension in her eyes, Oliver kissed her fiercely, leaving her breathless before moving down her neck. He sucked lightly at the base of her neck, deliberately leaving a mark. He wanted to make it clear to Chloe, and to everyone else, that she was his and he was hers and nothing was going to change that.

Once more, his hands brushed up her sides, against her breasts. She sucked in a breath and felt heat pool in the pit of her stomach and even lower, tightening her gut in anticipation. Feeling suddenly bold, Chloe slipped her hands beneath his shirt, running her fingers across his abdomen. He caressed her hip gently with his fingers, moving back to her mouth, trying to convey encouragement and reassurance, urging her on. Chloe lifted the hem of his shirt, running her hand further up his chest, nimbly tracing the lines of his muscles. It felt amazing. Eager to urge her on, he broke the kiss and pulled his shirt over his head. As soon as he was free of the material, he leaned over her and gently pushed her back down onto the mattress.

For a moment, he looked down at her in adoration. She chewed her lip, looking both nervous and excited - _and sexy as hell_, Oliver added silently - at the same time. Seeing her lying beneath him like that sent a jolt through him, right down to his groin.

He sank down onto the bed beside her and rested on his elbow above her, gazing down into her face and drawing light patterns over her skin with his fingers. As much as he didn't want to, Oliver was giving her one last chance to end things if she was uncomfortable with what was going on. Chloe read and immediately rejected his silent offer; she ran her hands over his shoulders, down his chest, and across his abs. She slipped her fingers into the waistband of his sweats, teasing the soft skin. She bit her lip and gave him a questioning look, unsure if she was doing it right. His breath caught and he cocked an eyebrow, fascinated with the girl lying beneath him and the strange combination of boldness and timidity that she was exhibiting.

Moving down her body, he pressed a kiss to her chest, just above her breasts. She closed her eyes, and tossed her head back, clutching at the sheets. Heat pooled between her legs and her blood raced. His free hand traveled down to her hip, sliding beneath the loose pajama shorts she was wearing. She tensed slightly, burying her hand in his hair, but said nothing. He was the only person she wanted to touch her like that.

"Trust me," he murmured, sliding the shorts down her legs with exaggerated slowness.

Chloe felt her heart clench. "I do," she whispered. She flushed again, still slightly nervous with the prospect of being completely bare to Oliver, but also yearning for what she knew as soon to come.

Oliver threw Chloe's shorts and panties aside, taking a deep breath as he did, trying to calm himself. He was desperate to be inside of her, but he was determined to take things slowly. He wanted to savor it and he didn't want to hurt her any more than necessary. Gently wrapping his hand around the back of one knee, he pulled her legs apart and rested himself between them.

Lowering himself onto her so that they were once more pressed together, Oliver kissed her again, ravaging her mouth with his. He ran his hand down her hip, drawing his fingers along the edge of her panties. Heat pooled between her legs, filling her with need she'd never felt before. She reflexively arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest and rubbing their bare skin together. With a groan, he shifted his grip on her hip, cupping her butt with one hand and lifting her up, grinding her him.

Desire knifed through Chloe, almost literally setting her on fire. She wound one leg around his, pulling herself closer, craving the feel of him against her. Her breathing was uneven. So was his. He pressed another kiss to her chest, between her breasts, while his hand brushed against the sensitive flesh. She shuddered and arched into him again, forcing her breast more firmly into his hand. It felt like every nerve was awake and screaming for more. She already felt overstimulated, but it was amazing. She was acutely aware of his weight on her, his hand trailing from her breast down to her hip and back, his mouth on hers. The heat that stemmed from his touch was igniting feelings in her that she'd never felt before.

"Still with me?" he whispered, his voice rougher than before.

Chloe nodded, her eyes locking on his. They were dark with desire. "I trust you."

Without further prompting, he slid his hands down her thighs, caressing the skin lightly. To his surprise, Chloe hooked her fingers into the waistband of his sweats. She was biting her lip, obviously nervous, but running on pure instinct, her eyes shining with determination and desire. Guiding her hand, Oliver helped her push them over his hips, then he kicked him off onto the floor.

For a moment, they stared at each other, relishing the feel of having absolutely nothing between them. Then Oliver slid a hand between her legs, gently caressing her center. Unprepared for the contact, Chloe cried out, her hips bucking automatically as pleasure coursed through her. Eyes closed, she clutched at Oliver's shoulders, her fingers biting into his skin. Capturing her mouth again, he kissed her deeply, caressing her mouth as he stroked her. She twisted beneath him, pressing against him as she did. Oliver groaned and increased the pressure on the sensitive nub of flesh between her legs. She moaned.

"Ollie. Please."

She'd started to shiver. Recognizing that she was close, Oliver slipped one long finger inside of her. Eyes shutting tightly, her back arched again, lifting her so high off the mattress it seemed that her spine would snap in half. He began pumping his finger in and out of her slowly. She was so tight and he wanted to be sure that she felt as much pleasure as possible before the inevitable pain of the sex act itself.

Sparks of electricity began shooting through her body, igniting her skin. The pressure on her core and the coiled tension in the pit of her stomach were swiftly becoming unbearable. She mewled in the back of her throat and Oliver leaned over to kiss her. Before he could, she suddenly cried out and grabbed the sheets. He could feel the slight fluttering of her inner walls around his finger, that indicated how close she was to coming. He continued to slide his finger in and out of her until she cried out again, nearly jack-knifing off the bed. At the feel of her coming around his hand, Oliver groaned. Every muscle in his body tightened as he forced himself to remain in control.

After a moment, Chloe fell back against the bed, moaning weakly. Aftershocks from her orgasm were still pulsing through her. She felt more relaxed than she ever had before. More loved and contented, too. She realized vaguely that Oliver was doing everything he could to make things easier and more pleasurable for her, even if it meant that he had to wait longer himself.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and their gazes locked. Oliver gently withdrew his hand and lowered himself onto her. She could feel him pressing against her sex.

"Ready?" he asked.

"When you are," she whispered.

Her simple words turned him on even more. Oliver ran one hand through her hair. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. He stroked her cheek with his thumb until she opened her eyes and looked at him. Locking his gaze with hers, he positioned himself at her entrance, then froze.

"Damn it," he hissed. "I don't have any condoms."

To his surprise, Chloe flushed bright red. She muttered something unintelligible.

"Can you repeat that?" Oliver asked, curiously.

"I'm on the pill. I have been since right before you left."

He was stunned. "Really?"

If possible, her blush deepened. "I thought it was possible that things might change over the summer and I wanted to be ready. After you went missing, I just kept up with it because it was kind of a way to keep faith that you'd come back."

"So you've been on the pill for over two years?"

Chloe nodded.

Grinning, Oliver kissed her soundly. "God, I love you."

"For taking birth control unnecessarily for two years?" she asked incredulously.

"For never giving up on me."

Her face softened and she whispered, "I will never give up on you."

Oliver kissed her again, more thoroughly than before. When he drew back, he caught her eye and slid slowly into her. She fisted her hands in the sheets, another moan escaping her lips. Recognizing the undercurrent of pain in her voice, Oliver kissed her and stroked her side soothingly when he reached her natural barrier and her entire body tensed.

"This is going to hurt," he warned. There was no way around it.

She nodded, her jaw tight, and clutched her hand in his. Her other hand still gripped the sheets. Taking a deep breath, Oliver pushed into her with one smooth, quick stroke.

Crying out, Chloe's back arched, lifting off the bed as tears pooled in her eyes. Oliver froze, trying not to cause her any more pain. He continued rubbing her side soothingly, tenderly kissing her collarbone, then her neck, and finally reaching her lips.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently, stroking her hair.

She nodded sharply, her eyes still shut tightly. "Just give me a minute."

"I'm sorry," he murmured against her shoulder.

Turning her head, she kissed his cheek. "I'm not."

Before Oliver could reply, Chloe rolled her hips experimentally. The pain was slowly receding to be replaced with something wonderful. Sweat broke out across her forehead. She moaned, rolling her hips again. Pleasure shot through her, washing the rest of the pain away.

"God," Oliver choked. "That feels amazing."

She almost stopped at his words, surprised that she'd managed to elicit that kind of response from him. A rush of feminine pleasure, completely different from the carnal feelings she was experiencing, washed through her and she rolled her hips again. Oliver began moving slowly inside her. Sweat started to bead across his body under the strain of keeping himself in check. He hadn't been with anyone for a long time, not since he'd met Chloe. That, combined with the fact that it was Chloe, had him at the edge of his control, without any other stimulus.

He grit his teeth, forcing himself to move at a snail's pace, to draw out both of their pleasure for as long as possible. He slid almost all the way out of her before pressing in completely, keeping the pace slow and even. His hands caressed every inch of her skin that he could reach, all while he kissed her with all the passion he'd been holding for years.

Chloe's heart soared, all of her insecurities and nervousness stripped away by the way Oliver was worshiping her body. She gasped and clutched at his shoulders, arching beneath him. Her hips began rising and falling in time to his thrusts as she found herself instinctively desperate to take him in deeper.

The pleasure she was feeling began to slowly intensify. She felt as though she was about to come undone at the seams. Her body couldn't contain all the sensations flooding through her. She whimpered, wrapping her legs around Oliver's waist, pulling him closer still, moaning his name. He dropped his head against her shoulder, giving in slightly to the need burning through him and increasing his pace slightly.

"Oh my God! Oliver!" she whimpered, writhing beneath him.

He paused, looking down at her worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Not if you stop!" she bit out, bucking her hips against him for good measure.

He managed to smirk before resuming his movement, faster and harder than before. He drove in and out of her mercilessly. Chloe buried her hand in his hair, yanking him down so that she could kiss him. Oliver reached between them, caressing her as he had before. She gasped against his lips as a feeling more intense than anything she had ever felt before began to slowly consume her. She tossed her head back, desperate for breath, and his lips moved to her neck. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, nails biting into his skin.

With one more thrust, the tension coiled in her stomach exploded and she fell off the edge.

"Ollie!" she cried.

Hearing her name fall from her lips and feeling her spasming around him, Oliver finally found his release as well. Together, they rode out the tidal wave of pleasure.

When it was over, he collapsed on top of her. Chloe reveled in the feel of his body on hers, anchoring her to him. After a moment, he rolled to the side so that he wouldn't crush her. She felt as if her bones had melted into a puddle of goo. She didn't have the strength to move.

Still breathing heavily, Oliver drew Chloe close to him. She rested her head against his chest, trying to calm herself. He stroked her back and side gently.

"Are you all right?" he whispered, looking down at her in concern. "I...I know it's not easy the first time."

She smiled and kissed his jaw. "I feel amazing."

"You'll be sore in the morning," he said apologetically.

"I really don't care," she said truthfully. "It'll be worth it." Unconsciously, her fingers began to caress the spot where just hours before there had been a bullet wound that should have claimed his life. "I should have told you sooner that I was ready to be in a relationship again. I just didn't want to screw everything up. I'd just gotten you back and I didn't want to lose you again."

"I know," he whispered. "I was so worried about driving you away that I convinced myself that I still wasn't ready, that I still needed time. Even when I began to think that I was ready, that everything was behind me, I still hesitated because the last thing I wanted to do was push you away. I love you, Chloe. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you. You know that, right?"

Chloe caressed his cheek. "I know."

Oliver pulled the blankets over them and she snuggled into his side.

"You know," he said, laying back and looking up at the pattern of light made by the blinds against the ceiling. "I think that we've actually technically been in a relationship since we laid everything on the table after I got back and were just too afraid to admit it because of what had happened. It was easier to just be friends than it was to be something more after being apart and then jumping to conclusions about Tess and Jimmy."

"That sounds about right. It also sounds like us," she agreed humorously. "Why do we always have to do everything the hard way?"

"I have no idea," he laughed. "But it seems to work for us."

"True," Chloe yawned, burrowing more securely into his side. Before she could close her eyes and drift off to sleep, she heard the sound of her phone ringing from across the hall.

"No," Oliver said firmly, holding her against his side. "Do not answer it."

"Ollie," she giggled tiredly, fighting to extricate herself from his grip. "It might be important and you know it's probably Lois. If I don't tell her to leave me alone, she'll be calling all day and she'll probably wake us up in the process. Or," she added, her voice becoming just the slightest bit softer and deeper, her hand trailing up his arm seductively, "she might even interrupt something we don't want interrupted."

Feeling himself respond instantly to the promise her words held, Oliver let her go reluctantly. Chloe flashed him an impish smile and slid off the bed. The covers fell away to reveal her gloriously naked body. Oliver's breath caught in his throat, nearly choking him. The idea that he had the privilege of seeing Chloe naked, to touch every inch of her skin, was absolutely amazing. A small part of him hoped that feeling of wonder would never go away.

Chloe grabbed her phone off the desk where she'd tossed it. She glanced quickly at the screen, rolling her eyes when she saw the name flashing in time to the ringtone.

"Lois," she confirmed, as she slid back into bed. Pulling the covers up to her chest and leaning against his side, she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Cuz!" Lois shouted before Chloe even had a chance to speak.

"Nice to hear from you," Chloe said dryly. "Now isn't a good time, Lo."

"Why? You and billionaire boy finally decide to stop being idiots and just bang each other's brains out? Speaking of Oliver, when am I going to get to see him? And don't feed me that crap about him needing to stay in town for his company. He's been back for over three months. He can take a week off to come see his friends in Metropolis."

Chloe rolled her eyes even as her cheeks warmed at her cousin's uncanny accuracy. Knowing that there was no way she could lie to Lois about her relationship status with Oliver, even over the phone, she decided to just tell the truth.

"Yes, Lois. Oliver and I just had hot and steamy sex and are now trying to enjoy the after effects, which you are currently ruining. We'll both come back to Metropolis as soon as we can, but no matter how much you bitch and moan, it's probably going to be a while. Whatever it is you called to talk about is just going to have to wait. I'll call you later, and I swear to God, if you call me first, I won't speak to you for a month!" she threatened.

"Fine," Lois sulked. "You better give me the details when you call me back!"

Chloe rolled her eyes, in no way intending to satisfy her cousin's voyeuristic curiosity. "Whatever, Lo. I'll talk to you later."

Hitting the end button decisively, Chloe silenced and then tossed the phone on the beside table before turning back to Oliver who was staring at her with wide, incredulous eyes.

"What?" she asked, feeling suddenly insecure.

"You told Lois," he said slowly.

She nodded, a sheepish expression on her face. "I didn't see any other option. She can tell when I'm hiding something, even over the phone. And ferreting out secrets, especially where I'm concerned, is like her superpower."

"No, I know that," he assured her. "But you do realize that it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world knows too."

"I am well aware of Lois' inability to keep a secret," she said, settling back into the pillows. "Is there anything wrong with letting people know about us?"

Oliver shook his head emphatically. "No. It's just...we were so careful before. Are you sure you're ready for all the media attention and speculation that comes with dating me?"

An amused smile tugged at her lips and she leaned in, kissing him gently on the lips. "Ollie, I know what I'm getting myself into. It's not like I've been hiding in a cave or living under a rock while I've been here. There's been media speculation about us before and it's not all been nice. You know that."

Oliver winced internally, remembering the first time the tabloids had gotten pictures of them together and suggested that Chloe was his latest fling. He'd come back to the penthouse, afraid that the article would send her into a panic and that she'd flee back to Metropolis. He was pleasantly surprised when wasn't even fazed and they'd both ended up laughing at the absurd claims.

"I know it's going to get worse now that we're actually together," she continued. "I just don't care. We wasted enough time thinking and waiting and worrying about what other people are going to think of us. I don't want anything to restrict our relationship because we're afraid of it. I want to be with you, Ollie, and I want everything that comes with that."

He felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest. Oliver threaded his fingers through her hair and melded their lips together in a kiss so full of fiery passion it rivaled the sun. Chloe responded readily, pressing herself against him.

"You're amazing," he breathed.

"So are you."

Oliver chuckled and lay back against the pillows. As much as he wanted round two, he knew they were both exhausted. Besides, they had all the time in the world for that kind of thing now that they were no longer ignoring the connection between them.

Too tired to feel frustrated about the fact that Oliver was putting the brakes on their make out session, Chloe curled up against his side. Her head rested just above his heart and she quickly fell fast asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

Tightening his arm around her waist, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and let his eyes drift closed. For so long, Oliver had been worried that sex with Chloe would be worthless and that in turn, she would become as insignificant as all the other girls in his life had been. It had taken being separated from her for him to truly realize that sleeping together wouldn't be valueless because it was Chloe. She was someone who actually knew him. She was someone _he'd_ actually taken the time to get to know himself. It wouldn't be meaningless because _she wasn't meaningless_. She meant everything to him. That was the difference, and he wished he'd realized it sooner.

The past three and half months had been hard, but they had been worth it. He'd gotten to know Chloe again. He'd gotten to discover all over again what a wonderful person she was. Eventually, they'd been brought back together. That was what mattered. Not the roundabout route they'd taken or everything that had happened to them, both good and bad. All that mattered was that they were finally together.

That night, or morning, or whatever it was, Oliver fell asleep with a smile on his face, feeling happier and more content than he had in a long time.

* * *

><p>Lois glared at her phone. She couldn't believe that Chloe had hung up on her, even if it was for her sexy boyfriend. It was about time those two stopped being idiots about each other. Lois hadn't even been on the same continent as them for most of the past few months and she'd still felt the sexual tension emanating from Star City. But why did they have to indulge their wanton fancies when she had something to talk to her baby cousin about?<p>

Harrumphing and grumbling under her breath, Lois shoved her phone in her bag and stomped over to the table where Clark was waiting for her.

If someone had told her two years ago that she and the bumbling farm boy would be dating, she'd have slapped them upside the head and kneed them in the groin for good measure. A lot had changed since then, though. It had happened when Lana and Clark broke up for the last time. Usually, Chloe was the person to lend Smallville her shoulder when something like that happened, but since she'd been more or less catatonic, the job had fallen to Lois.

What had resulted was a strange friendship. They'd goaded each other to be better than they were while at the same time listening to each other when they'd needed a friendly ear. They'd banded together to help Chloe in any way they could. Lois couldn't count the many times Clark had held her when the pressure of looking after Chloe and maintaining an optimistic attitude about Oliver's fate despite all the crap that was going on got to be too much for her to handle. She'd threatened Clark with bodily harm if he ever told anyone each time, but he'd always kept her confidence and had been there fore her whenever she needed him. In return, she'd kept him from getting too broody when things went bad.

She hadn't even noticed their friendship becoming something more until Clark randomly planted one on her about nine months ago. They'd both denied that the kiss had ever happened for about three weeks, then Chloe had locked them in a closet. They'd been going strong ever since.

Still grumbling under her breath, Lois dropped her bag unceremoniously on the table and plopped down opposite Clark, folding her arms across her chest. He looked up with one raised eyebrow.

"Something wrong, Lois?"

"Yes," she snapped. "Chloe just blew me off."

Clark immediately sat up, anticipating that something had gone wrong. Chloe and Oliver had let him in on the fact that Oliver was Green Arrow soon after he began patrolling Star City, just in case they ever needed back up. Chloe always made time for Lois, if only to avoid the hounding that was sure to come if she didn't. "Is something wrong?" he asked, wishing that his superhearing extended to Star City.

Lois rolled her eyes, her face softening the slightest bit despite herself. "Apparently, she's too wrapped up in Oliver to talk to me."

"Oliver?" Clark frowned.

A genuine grin tugged at her lips. She never could keep herself from being happy whenever things went right for those two. Chloe was practically her sister and Oliver was one of her closest friends. She wished nothing but the best for them and God knew they deserved it. Her happiness for them outweighed her annoyance at Chloe's brush off.

"Apparently," she said conspiratorially, leaning closer to Clark, "they finally got their act together and spent the night making sweet love."

Clark blanched slightly and grimaced. "That doesn't sound like something you should be broadcasting for them," he said disapprovingly.

"You are such a prude," Lois teased, rolling her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with them going at it like bunnies. They deserve it after all the crap that's happened to them, don't you think?"

"I'm not denying that," he protested. "I'm just saying that we don't need to know the intimate details and we definitely don't need to be talking about it in public. It's their business."

Knowing that she was never going to win that argument simply because neither of them would back down - she loved Smallville's stubborn streak - and deciding that she had better things to do than throw down with him, Lois let the topic go for the time being. "Well, since my baby cuz is too busy knocking boots with the Survivor reject, who I still haven't seen in person since his return, by the way, I'll have to talk to you."

It was Clark's turn to roll his eyes. He never got tired of the way Lois managed to pretend that she hadn't been going to include him from the beginning. "You have seen him, remember? They Skype us every couple of weeks."

She glared at him and he changed tactics. "What is so important that you're actually complaining about Oliver and Chloe being happy?"

She leveled a good-natured, but steely glare at him before answering. "I might have been investigating Lex and could hypothetically have found something big."

"What are you doing looking into Lex?" Clark demanded. "You know how dangerous he is!" He couldn't help but think about what Lex had done to the countless meteor infected metahumans they'd found in 33.1 facilities, as well as what he had done to their friends Arthur Curry and Victor Stone. Both Chloe and Lois had had their fair share of close calls while snooping around LuthorCorp facilities and Lex had proved himself to be far more twisted than Lionel ever was.

"Finding out what he is up to is worth the risk," Lois said decisively. "Who knows how many innocent people he has locked up in his twisted labs. It's up to us to find them."

"You're not going to do us any good if you're in jail or worse because you got on the wrong side of Lex," he pointed out.

"Stop being such a downer, Smallville. What's life without a little risk? You should try it sometime." She eyed him with a smirk. "The action might do you some good."

He ignored her. Ever since she'd seen him speed out of Chloe's room after promising to scour the ocean for Oliver, she'd been privy to his secret. She knew exactly how much action he got doing his thing as the Blur.

"Did you actually find anything, seeing as how you risked your life?"

Lois glared at him, even if she secretly thought that the protective streak was a serious turn on. "Yes, Smallville. I did. I managed to get ahold of his bank records and from the looks of things, there's a steady flow of cash going to a private airstrip just outside of Metropolis. When I cross checked the flight plans filed at the airstrip, the records showed that there hadn't been any flights out of there except for small, personal aircraft. But when I snuck in and copied the surveillance data, I saw that the LuthorCorp jet has flown in and out of there at least three times a month for the past few months, always in the dead of night."

A frown creased Clark's forehead as he processed the information. When he came up with nothing, he asked, "What do you think that means?"

Looking excited, Lois moved her chair closer and leaned into him, lowering her voice. "You and Chloe always said that the people you find in the 33.1 facilities don't always have connections to Smallville, meaning they can't all be meteor infected, like AC and Victor. He's got to be finding metas somewhere else and bringing them to Smallville."

"And you think that's what he's using this airstrip for," Clark realized. "That sounds like Lex."

"We have to do something about this," Lois hissed.

"I know that," he said, trying to soothe her. "But without more information, there's nothing we can do."

"Which was why I called Chloe. I wanted her to work her hacker magic, but she was -"

"We covered this already," Clark interrupted. "As important as all this business with Lex is, Oliver and Chloe deserve to be happy together. You said that yourself. Give them today and maybe tomorrow and then I'll go talk to them. They'll want to hear about this. Just not right now."

Unwilling to admit that Clark was right, Lois crossed her arms and gave him the Sullivan-Lane death glare that she and her cousin had perfected. "Fine. But the only reason I'm agreeing to this is because Chloe threatened not to talk to me for a month and I know she was serious. If this is as big as I think it is, I kinda need her talking to me."

Clark chuckled under his breath. He'd always admired how stubborn she could be. "Now do you think we could actually enjoy our coffee, or do you want to keep talking until it goes cold?"

"Just heat it up with your laser vision," she quipped. "Because I'm not done talking yet, Smallville."

"You do realize that we have somewhere to be, right?" he reminded her. "You've got that interview for the position at the Daily Planet." Since finding out about Lex, she'd become as passionate as Chloe about reporting. Her spelling was atrocious, which Clark knew from the many times he'd proofread her articles for the Inquisitor, where she was currently working, but she really was an amazing reporter. Her help with the various metahumans Clark had come up against in Smallville and later in Metropolis had helped get Chloe back on her feet while Oliver was gone.

"We'll get there in plenty of time," she said dismissively, conveniently forgetting the fact that she was chronically late. "I've still got stuff to talk to you about."

He shook his head and sat back, ready for the nonstop monologue he knew he was coming his way. Strangely enough, he found himself looking forward to it.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: As I said before, that was my first attempt at smut at any kind, and I'm not exactly sure how well I did. I've read some pretty great Chlollie smut since I was introduced to this fandom. I hope I did it justice. It took me much longer to write it than I anticipated. From here on out, updates will not be very regular. I'm currently out of town with my sister and when we get back late Friday, it will be only a few days until we get packed up and head across the country for our move. I can't guarantee that I'll have much time to write any time soon. I'll try to speedy with both this and Fading Scars, but I can't offer any guarantees.<em>

_Just a slight warning, from this point on, the fic will no longer focus solely on Oliver and Chloe as it has with their isolation in Star City. Their peaceful little bubble is about to be popped._

_Just to make sure I'm clear: Lois knows about Clark. It's just easier that way. Bart is the only eventual member of the league Oliver has met. The rest all passed through Smallville after his disappearance. Everything leading up to season five happened in my fic, except Chloe obviously is not going to discover her power by saving Lois. I'm not even a hundred percent sure what season that happened in. If you have any questions about the setting, because I know it is a little confusing, please let me know._

_As always, thanks so much for reading and please leave me a comment!_


	15. Chapter 14

**Title:** Gift of Fate

**Rating:** PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary:** Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning:** Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers:** The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I was blown away by the positive response. You guys keep me from falling into second guessing myself._

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

Oliver woke to the wonderful feeling of the small, soft body of Chloe Sullivan wrapped tightly in his arms. Their legs were tangled together and her head was resting on his chest. He grinned sleepily and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She made a quiet noise in the back of her throat and shifted closer to him, tightening her grip on his waist.

His eyes began to drift closed. Though wanting nothing more than to give in to the pressing desire to stay in bed with the woman he could finally call his girlfriend, he forced his eyes open. He had things that he had to do before Chloe woke up.

Careful not to disturb her, he slipped out of bed and tiptoed out of the room, grabbing his sweatpants and closing the door behind him. Knowing that Chloe was likely to wake up soon - she rarely slept more than eight hours, even when she'd been up for days on coffee alone - he started a pot of coffee before grabbing a trash bag and heading back to his room.

Steeling himself mentally, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. The sight of the bloodstained sheets and the torn clothes on the floor, still covered in blood, turned his stomach. The bright sunlight streaming in through the window made it hard to miss the stained fabric. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Chloe to actually be in the room while he was bleeding out in front of her. Blood didn't usually bother him, but knowing that all of it was his and that losing that much blood should have killed him made him sick to his stomach.

Breathing through his mouth to keep from throwing up, Oliver stripped the ruined sheets from the bed and shoved them in the trash bag. The mattress pad was also stained, so he pulled it off and tossed it in the bag as well. Miraculously, the mattress itself had escaped unscathed. His shirt was mangled beyond saving, so he threw it in the bag along with the sheets. Tying it off, he tossed it in the closet where it could remain hidden until he got a chance to dispose of it safely. It wasn't the first time he'd had to get rid of something after a patrol. He couldn't take the risk that someone would find the ruined gear and discover that it had his blood on it or uncover some other evidence that would connect him to his leather clad counterpart.

He grabbed his stained vest off the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed to examine it. The blood would wash out easily enough and the bullet hole looked like it could be repaired. But it would always be visible as a reminder of how close he'd come to dying. As if the memory of Chloe lying lifeless on his bed after dying in his place wasn't enough to ensure that he would never forget.

After running his fingers over the vest one last time, he threw it in the closet with the trash bag. He didn't want to risk Chloe seeing it before he had a chance to wash it off and he didn't want her walking in on him while he was doing it. She'd cleaned his bloody gear before herself, but this time was different. He'd always seen the slight look of pain in her eyes when she dealt with the aftermath of his injuries. He wasn't about to put her through that after he'd almost died. He wanted to do everything he could to keep her from remembering what had happened the night before.

Well, the nearly dying bit of the evening, that is. That he wanted her to forget. He really wanted her to remember the sex because he was hoping that part would happen again.

A grin stretched across his face at the memory. It been amazing, but more than that, he felt like he and Chloe were finally where they were supposed to be. Things were going right for them at last.

Surprised that Chloe hadn't come looking for him yet, Oliver returned to Chloe's bedroom. She was still fast asleep, sprawled out across the bed. One hand rested on the space where he'd been sleeping, almost as though she'd been searching for him in her slumber. He smiled softly and slipped in beside her again. He almost shivered at the feel of her skin against his again. She groaned quietly and her eyes opened.

"Hey," Oliver said quietly, brushing her hair out of her face.

She smiled and rolled into him, sliding her hand up his chest. "Morning," she murmured.

"It's not morning," he chuckled. "But the sentiment's nice."

Making a disgruntled noise, she slapped his arm sleepily. "Jerk. What time is it?"

"Almost three-thirty."

"That's too early!"

He laughed. "I thought you were used to all-nighters."

"You've never seen the aftermath of one where I haven't had coffee."

"Is this your way of telling me to get lost and bring you some? Because if it is, I think I'm hurt that you're already kicking me out after our first night together."

"Jerk," she muttered again, hooking her arms around his waist and clinging to him tightly. "Don't even think about going anywhere."

"So you want me to stay?"

She nodded into his chest.

"Are you sure? Because I will go get coffee if you want me too."

Chloe pressed a kiss to his chest, just above his heart. His breath caught and he felt her smirk against his skin.

"Stay," she ordered, kissing him again.

A shiver rolled down his spine and he rolled them over so that he was hovering above her. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Something on your mind?" she asked innocently. Her voice betrayed her thoughts. It was trembling slightly and a half octave lower.

Oliver leaned down and kissed her slowly. He teased the seam of her lips with his tongue until she opened them. She moaned as he lazily stroked the inside of her mouth. Her hand came up to grip his arm and she wrapped one leg around him, pulling him closer and returning the kiss.

After a moment, he drew back and smirked down at her. "Just you."

"Really?" she teased. "_Just_ me?"

His smirked widened and his eyes darkened slightly. "Well, you and certain other things."

She cocked an eyebrow and opened her mouth to ask exactly what other things were on his mind, but she never got the chance. He pressed a knee between her legs and began to knead one breast with his strong fingers, causing her to gasp. "No, I take it back," he murmured, nuzzling her cheek. "You are the only thing on my mind."

"Ditto," she gasped, her back arching and a moan of pleasure escaping her lips.

Oliver leaned in to kiss her again, but stopped short when the elevator buzzed. The sound rang through the apartment, completely spoiling the moment. He dropped his forehead onto her shoulder, letting out a groan of frustration.

"Damn it," he hissed. "That's probably Hal."

Chloe ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. "To be continued?" she suggested.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "I locked the elevator, but he has the code and he has an uncanny ability to get into places he's not supposed to. Knowing him, he'll probably just waltz right in, regardless of what we're doing in here. He's done it before."

Chloe sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest. Her eyebrows had climbed to her forehead. "Really? How many times did this happen?"

"More often than I'd like to admit," he said sheepishly. "I'm not about to let it happen again, though. It's not such a big deal form him to walk in when it's just me, but I'm not about to let him see you. Call me a caveman, but I want to protect your gorgeous body from other prying eyes."

Her cheeks reddened slightly and she looked away. "It is definitely caveman-like behavior, but I think I like it. Now let me up so I can get dressed."

She batted at his chest, pushing him out of the bed. The buzzer rang through the penthouse again, reminding him tat someone was waiting downstairs. So he allowed Chloe to shoe him out the door.

"We'll finish this later," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

Giggling, she shook her head and threw a pillow at him. Oliver easily avoided the projectile by ducking behind the door.

When he was gone, Chloe leapt out o bed and quickly threw on some clothes. She attempted to tame her hair by combing her fingers through it, but gave it up as a lost cause. At least it looked tousled in a good way. Fully dressed, she crossed the room to the pile of boxes that was shoved up against one wall.

She'd finally gotten around to getting the rest of her things from the apartment. With Lois still living there, there had been no hurry. Clark had volunteered to pack up her belongings and bring them up to her, but most of it was still in boxes because she hadn't had a chance to go through them.

A low rumble of voices began to emanate from the living room and she realized that whoever the guest was had finally arrived. Moving as quickly and quietly as she could, she searched the boxes until she found the one that contained what few items had been left in her dresser. Most of her clothes had already migrated to Star City, but there had been one drawer full of keepsakes. It had become a kind of shrine to Oliver and their relationship while he was gone.

Clark had carefully cushioned the mementos with the few t-shirts he'd found in the dresser. ON top were pictures that chronicled her relationship with Oliver. Her favorite was one from the first date, or what she considered their first date at the beach. While she'd been basking on her towel waiting for the sunscreen was to set in, Oliver had already been out in the water. She'd pulled her phone out of her bag and snapped a picture of him standing up to his calves in the ocean, shaking the water from his hair. That candid shot had helped remind her of that day and how happy it had been.

She set the pictures aside and began pulling out the rest of the items. Next was the graduation program and article she'd written, the bracelet he'd given her for her birthday, tickets from a play they'd gone to, and a few other odds and ends. She pulled out a few more items before finding what she was looking for. It was a small velvet pouch that contained her most important reminder of Oliver and her feelings for him. When she'd tried to move on from him, it had been the first thing she'd put away. And when she'd realized it was time to move on with him, it had been the first thing she'd wanted to get out again.

Chloe shoved the pouch in her pocket so that she could give it to Oliver later and hurried down the hall.

* * *

><p><em>Seriously?<em> Hal thought irritably, tapping his foot and glaring at the intercom. He was standing in the elevator, waiting for Oliver to let him up. Oliver must have changed the code and forgotten, because it hadn't worked when Hal keyed it in. He'd already been back to Queen Industries and been told that Oliver had the day off. Based on how twitterpated his friend had sounded, Hal had guessed that he'd be at his penthouse with the girl he'd mentioned the day before. He was beginning to consider just leaving.

He was just contemplating using other means to get into the penthouse when the elevator started to climb.

"Finally," he muttered.

When the door slid open, he was met by Oliver, who looked apologetic, but also slightly annoyed.

"What were you doing?" Hal demanded, striding into the living room like he owned the place. "I've been standing out there for half an hour."

"I was busy," Oliver said evasively.

Hal's jaw dropped. "No way! You finally did it, didn't you! You finally sealed the deal with that girl from Smallville!"

"Keep your voice down," Oliver hissed, glancing over his shoulder toward the hall. "And it's none of your business."

"Come on, man! We've always told each other about our conquests." Hal was grinning broadly, openly taunting Oliver. "She must be one hell of a piece of ass if you waited this long for her. Please tell me that she's still here."

Oliver face darkened instantly. He spared one more look down the hall, making sure that there was no chance Chloe would overhear, before answering in a low, deadly voice that wouldn't carry down the hall. "Chloe isn't a conquest and she is definitely not a piece of ass. She's my girlfriend. She has been for almost three years. I'm not about to objectify her for your pleasure and if you say anything like that to her, I'll throw you out on your ass, best friend or not."

There was a small, pregnant silence. Then Hal's grin widened. "Dude, you are totally head over heels for this girl."

"Didn't you already know that?" Oliver demanded, his eyes narrowed.

"I knew that you were seriously crushing on her," Hal clarified. "You know as well as I do that those feelings can go out the window once you actually have sex. I was just making sure that you were still as gaga over this girl as you thought you were before you did something stupid and I had to pick up the pieces."

Though still angry, Oliver looked confused as well. "So what the hell was that?"

"I was testing you."

"You were what?"

"Man, I know that you're smarter than this. I was testing you."

When Oliver continued to look confused, Hal groaned. "With every other girl you have ever been with, you objectified her right along with me. If that had been Jennifer Markham up there, you'd have said, 'Yes, she's one awesome piece of ass, but so not worth the wait.' But you didn't do that. You got all chivalrous and noble and straight up told me that I was being inappropriate. You like this girl, Oliver. More than you've ever liked anyone else. I'd even go so far as to say that you're in love with her, but I've barely seen you and I haven't seen her, so I'm not going to jump to conclusions."

There was a moment of silence, then Oliver said slowly. "You were testing me?"

"How many times do I have to say that? Yes!"

"Why?"

"I already explained this," he said tiredly. "I'm trying to make sure you don't get hurt. You think I don't know why you didn't let any of those other girls get close to you? Why I was your only friend? You were keeping us all at arms length in case something happened so you wouldn't get hurt. I knew from the beginning that when you finally did fall for someone, you'd fall hard and you'd probably end up with a broken heart in the process. I've seen you when something goes wrong. Like every year on the anniversary of that kid's death. I wasn't abo-"

"Wait a second," Oliver interrupted. "You noticed that?"

"That one day every year you partied harder than ever but had absolutely no fun? Yeah, I noticed."

"How do you know about Duncan?"

"What part of best friend do you not understand?" Hal demanded, beginning to get angry that Oliver was being so slow on the uptake. He could understand being a bit muddled after a night of great sex, but this was ridiculous. "When I noticed that pattern and realized how bad it was, I decided to look into it. Finding out about Duncan wasn't exactly difficult."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I might be your best friend, but I didn't want to overstep my bounds. It was one thing to understand what was going on, another thing to get into your business."

A faint smirk appeared across Oliver's face. "So what are you doing now?"

"Getting into your business."

"Why now and not before?"

Hal groaned in frustration. "It seemed like you were dealing, not well mind you, but you were dealing. This time was something else entirely. I was afraid that you were deluding yourself and that you were going to end up a bigger mess than before and I'm pretty sure that would actually kill you."

He had a point there. It wasn't until he'd met Chloe that Oliver had felt comfortable moving on from Duncan's death. Her simple words that night at the bonfire, before they were attacked, had been enough to banish the remnants of his self-recrimination. He still felt guilty and probably always would, but he no longer completely blamed himself. If things went wrong with Chloe as they nearly had, Oliver knew that he'd be destroyed.

"I'm sorry if I was an ass about your girl," Hal said softly. "I'm sure she's amazing. You definitely make her sound like one in a million. But you're my best friend, and I'm just looking out for you the only way I know how."

Oliver close the distance between them and clapped Hal on the shoulder. "Thanks man. Sorry I was a jerk before."

"Seeing as that was the reaction I was hoping for, I really can't complain."

A laugh escaped Oliver's lips. "Yeah, let's never do that again."

"Hey, it's not my fault your brain wasn't engaged."

"How was I supposed to know that you were pushing my buttons for my own benefit?"

"Come on, man, you should know by now, that's just how I work."

"Well for future reference, don't say anything like that to Chloe," he warned. "She might just do you bodily harm."

Hal raised an eyebrow. "No worries. I may be a cheap voyeur, but not when it comes to serious relationships. I really don't want the details."

Chloe chose that moment to walk into the room. "Details of what?" she asked curiously.

"Details of my extended island vacation," Oliver said quickly, covering for Hal since the other man really did have his best interests at heart. It wasn't fair to leave him to Chloe's wrath. He wrapped an arm around Chloe's shoulders and steered her forward. "Chloe, this is Hal Jordan. He's probably the best friend I have outside of Smallville. Hal, this is Chloe Sullivan, my girlfriend."

Smiling warmly, Chloe extended her hand to him. "Nice to meet you. You're going to have to tell me some stories about Oliver. I don't have nearly enough blackmail material."

"I'm hurt," Oliver pouted. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

She just shrugged.

Hal took her hand, a strange expression of recognition, disbelief, and confusion etched across his face. "Nice to meet you. Oliver's told me a lot about you. I have to say that you are far more beautiful in person though."

A blush painted her cheeks and she giggled slightly. Oliver rolled his eyes. "What part of 'my girlfriend' is hard to process, Hal?"

"None of it," he said easily. "I'm just having fun. I have no doubt that he lucked out with you. And even though I barely know you, I can tell that you're intelligent. So how exactly did he trick you into believing that he was worth your time?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, leaning into Oliver's side and wrapping her arm around him tightly. "He noticed me when no one else did and accepted me for who I am. That was all I needed."

"Fair enough. For the record, I'm happy for both of you. Oliver told me about how complicated things were," he explained. "The fact that you were both willing to wait for so long is seriously impressive. I'm honestly kind of jealous that you two found each other."

"I'm pretty happy with that, too," Chloe whispered.

Oliver kissed her forehead tenderly. "Me, too."

Hal watched them with amusement. He'd never seen Oliver like that with anyone. The moment she'd walked into the room, Oliver had reoriented himself to her unwittingly. His body had cocked toward her the instant she'd spoken. It was amusing to see Oliver so hung up over someone when for the majority of their friendship, he'd made a point of forming absolutely no connections with women.

When the lovebirds didn't show any signs of breaking eye contact or ending their little moment, he cleared his throat. "All right. Stop it with the lovey-dovey. There's company in the room. I actually only came by to set up a lunch date or something. I had some business come up and I've got to be on my way."

"Well, we're free all weekend," Chloe said quickly. "Just call us when you're done and we'll figure something out."

"I have somewhere to be tomorrow evening," Oliver added. "But other than that, we have absolutely nothing going on. We can probably plan something during the week if that's better for you."

"In that case, I'll call you when I have some free time." Hal grinned and started toward the door. "Chloe, it was nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to getting know the girl who finally managed to get Oliver to settle down."

"Of course you are," Oliver said dryly. "Just call me when you're ready to hang out."

Hal grinned and ducked into the elevator. He carefully kept the smile plastered on his face until he was out of the building. He was well aware of the cameras. Once he was outside, the grin slid of his face, to be replaced with a thoughtful expression.

As he walked across the sidewalk to his car, his hand delved into his pocket, buy he didn't draw it out until he was safely inside his car. Resting on his palm, was his emerald green ring. It glowed slightly. Smirking, he tucked it back into his pocket. He knew that he'd recognized Chloe from somewhere.

_This_, he thought humorously, _is going to be fun_.

* * *

><p>The moment Hal was gone, Oliver grabbed Chloe by the hand and pulled her against his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair, lightly playing with the strands. Chloe giggled softly and he took the opportunity to kiss her deeply. His hand slid down to cup her ass.<p>

Chloe gripped the front of his shirt and pushed him back, breaking the kiss. "I don't think that's a good idea," she murmured.

"Why not? Didn't we leave the bedroom with unfinished business?"

"Yes. But it's going to have to wait until tonight."

Why is that?"

"Because I have work to do," she whispered.

He began pressing kisses to the column of her neck. "It can wait."

"No, it can't. I promised Green Lantern that I'd look into that guy for him. You're supposed to meet up with him tomorrow night. Who knows how long it'll take to track this guy down."

"You know as well as I do that if you get started on this then you'll be up half the night," he said, almost sourly. "Come on, Chloe. You'll have all day tomorrow to look into this."

"Not if Hal calls and we end up spending half the day with him tomorrow."

Oliver groaned, realizing that he was never going to win that argument. "Fine," he muttered. "But I am dragging you away from that computer at ten o'clock," he warned.

"See," she whispered, kissing him gently. "That's what compromise gets us."

"Uh huh," he muttered, still feeling slightly annoyed.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You are ridiculous."

"No. I just want to sleep with my amazing girlfriend, who I can finally call my girlfriend after not being with her for more than two years."

"No. You're just horny."

He smirked. "That might be true."

She laughed once and pulled something out of her pocket, dangling it in front of his face. Raising his eyebrows, he caught the little green pouch.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Something I've been carrying around for a long time that I think you should have."

Intrigued, he pulled open the pouch, dumping the contents into his hand. It was his father's ring, still attached to the chain.

"I used to wear it every day," she said softly. "It reminded me of you and everything we had. When Lois finally convinced me to move on, I put it away. Then you showed up and we left in such a hurry that it ended up sitting in a drawer in my apartment until Clark brought everything over. I'd honestly kinda forgotten about it. I figured it was time to give it back to you."

Oliver stared at her in awe. "I can't believe you kept it for so long."

"I didn't have the heart to get rid of it."

"When I gave this to you, I thought I'd only be gone for a few weeks. I never meant for you to have to keep it."

She just shrugged.

Oliver fingered the ring and it's chain, lost deep in thought. For years, he'd worn his father's ring as a reminder of his parents. The ring was a family heirloom. He wasn't even sure how old it was. His father had given it to him before leaving for the trip he hadn't come back from. Oliver, who'd been ten years old at the time, had been throwing a fit because he didn't want his parents to leave without him. His father had given him the ring, telling him that he was the man of the house while they were gone. It had always been a reminder of the man his parents would have wanted him to be.

When he'd given Chloe the ring it had been a promise, to himself as much as to her, that he wouldn't run away from her. Going away on that business trip would have been the perfect excuse to get out of a relationship and he'd known it. With any other girl he would have done just that. But not with Chloe. That was why he'd given her the ring. He'd wanted her to hold a part of him so that he would always remember what they'd had.

Chloe, recognizing that Oliver was lost deep in thought, went to get a cup of coffee. Mug in hand, she retrieved the flash drive Green Lantern had given her from her bedroom and returned to the living room. She sat cross-legged on the sofa, her laptop balanced on her knees.

She started slightly when she felt a chain being draped around her neck. Looking down, she saw Oliver's ring resting against her skin. Her hand rose and she touched it gently as she looked up at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked in confusion.

Kissing tenderly behind her ear, Oliver whispered, "I want you to go ahead and keep it. This way you'll always have proof that I belong to you."

"Ollie," she murmured. "It's all you have of your dad."

He chuckled quietly. "There's a whole house full of mementos in the house. Which, by the way, you really need to see. My parents would have loved you, Chloe. And I want everyone to know that I belong to you and no one else."

Her heart melted. Standing on her toes, she kissed him gently. "You don't need to prove that to anyone. I know and that's all that matters."

"I know," he shrugged. "But I still want the world to know how lucky I am."

"Almost as lucky as me?" she suggested lightly.

He rolled his eyes. "Just get to work so that we can both get lucky."

Chloe elbowed him lightly. He doubled over in mock pain and she turned back to her computer.

* * *

><p>She spent the rest of the day researching. For a while, Oliver sat beside her, occupying himself and helping when he could, but since most of what she was doing was hacking and sifting through data he wasn't actually much help.<p>

All the data on the flash drive had been about a guy named Dr. Mark Stephenson. The Green Lantern had tentatively linked him to several missing persons cases across the country, particularly in the western states. Chloe had spent the majority of the day confirming the data.

He'd ordered in pizza when it got late and Chloe had taken a short break to eat. She'd gone right back to work afterward. Feeling antsy, Oliver had gone back to his room. In a fit of domesticity, he remade the bed with a new set of sheets. Then, since Chloe was happily occupied and would be for the foreseeable future, he dug his bloody vest out of the closet and set about washing it.

He was just beginning to examine the bullet hole to determine whether or not the vest could be repaired when he heard Chloe shouting his name. She sounded alarmed.

Instantly alert, Oliver bolted out the door and down the hallway. She was still sitting cross-legged on the couch, her laptop balanced on her knees. There were papers scattered around her, covered in notes. She was staring at her computer screen, her mouth hanging open, and a look of mingled amazement and horror on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, standing over her to look at the computer screen.

"We need to get into contact with Green Lantern tonight," she said slowly. "Because this is a lot bigger than any of us ever imagined."

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked in confusion.

"I linked Dr. Stephenson to all the missing persons cases that Green Lantern thought he was involved in," she explained. "When I was looking into their backgrounds to try to figure out why exactly they'd been targeted. They were all isolated, mostly loners, and their backgrounds were full of mysterious events that could all be linked back to them."

Oliver's eyes widened. "Oh, hell no."

"I think they were all meta humans. If Green Lantern is right and this guy is in Star City, I think he's the one that's behind the cases I've been looking into. I haven't managed to figure what identity he's using here, but everything matches."

"You have got to be kidding me. I can't believe this is all connected."

"It's a small world," she said weakly. "I don't think we can wait until tomorrow night to talk to him about this. He needs to know how big it is."

"He definitely needs to be told," Oliver agreed. "But I don't exactly know how to get a hold of him."

Chloe looked up at him with a sheepish expression. "I might have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

He definitely didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: So what do you think? It's beginning to get a little a more complicated for our favorite duo, lol. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible considering I'm going to be on the road for the next week. Hopefully, I'll still have time to write since we're only driving a couple of hours each day. Please continue to leave me lots of reviews! They inspire me, which is always a good thing :)<em>


	16. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay in posting. The drive to Virginia and the week following the move were a lot busier than I anticipated. I had zero time to write. Then, once I did, my muse decided to go on vacation. She is finally back. Hopefully, updates will be more frequent now. Thank you so much for being patient with me :)_

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

The plan was simple. Chloe got into trouble so easily that she reasoned it was the best way to get Green Lantern's attention. If she went looking for trouble, she'd eventually find it, and Green Lantern would come save her. It was clear from the look on her face that she thought it was a brilliant plan.

Oliver thought differently. He stared at Chloe in barely contained horror.

"Are you actually trying to get yourself killed?" he choked out after a moment.

She gave him a hurt look. "Of course not," she said calmly, recognizing the signs of panic threatening to take him over. "I'm just trying to help the people this guy has taken. Not all of them have shown up dead just yet. They could still be alive and we have to do something. If Dr. Fitzgerald is behind the cases in Star City, Green Lantern is the best person to help use because he knows more about Fitzgerald than anyone. There could be dozen's more people that he's kidnapped."

"I understand that," Oliver retorted. He paused and took a deep breath to calm himself before going on. "It's just not worth saving them if it's at the cost of your life. You don't even have confirmation that these people are still alive or that all of these cases are actually connected. You'd be risking your life for nothing until we can confirm the facts."

He had a point there, but she still thought it was their best chance of saving the missing people. "Isn't that what you do every night?" Chloe asked quietly. "Risk your life without any guarantee that anything will come of it?"

"That's different. I know the risks and I trained for months before staring to patrol!"

"I know the risks, too. And I won't be out there alone," she added. "You'll be out there watching my back in case he doesn't show up."

"That's not good enough," Oliver snapped. "If he doesn't show up, I might not get there in time. I'm not going to risk your life for nothing!"

Chloe lost her temper. "It wouldn't be for nothing," she hissed. "We'd be a little closer to finding the missing people who haven't turned up dead yet and if we keep waiting, we're risking more of their lives. We have no idea what's happening to them! We can't wait!"

"Well we're going to have to wait until Green Lantern meets with us on Sunday, because there's no other way for us to contact him."

Her face darkened in rage. "We can't wait that long! I _won't_ wait that long."

"Well, you're just going to have to," Oliver said firmly, spinning on his heel. He left Chloe standing in the middle of the living room, effectively ending the argument. The image of her being dragged into an alley by some psychopath played behind his eyes, as if often had during the years he'd been gone. No, he wasn't going to let her risk her own life when he could do something about it. He would go out on patrol and hope that Green Lantern was out as well. If he was lucky, they'd run into each other. The chances were slim, but they were more favorable than the chances of Chloe come back unscathed if she went out there.

When he walked back into the living room, in full gear, Chloe was standing in the middle of the room. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was giving him her best glare. Any other time may well have been enough to send him cowering. The Sullivan-Lane girls were notorious for their ability to give death glared and Chloe was well versed in the art of making him shake where in his boots. He knew the moment he saw her that he had to get out of there quickly or she'd tear him apart.

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" she demanded, her voice icy.

"I'm going on patrol," he said evenly, trying not to let her intimidate him. He didn't even want to dwell on the irony of the fact that the Green Arrow was afraid to cross a tiny blonde woman. All of those years fighting meteor freaks had really paid off in her favor. She was formidable. "If I'm lucky, I'll run into Green Lantern. If I'm not, at least I'll get to stop some bad guys."

Her eyes narrowed further and when she spoke, it was with an air of repressed fury. "So what am I supposed to do? Just sit here, twiddling my thumbs while innocent people are being held hostage? Need I remind you that some of my closest friends are metas, the very people this guy is targeting?"

"Then I'm sure they'd agree with me and that they wouldn't want you to risk your life until we have evidence," he said coolly.

Glaring at him, Chloe grabbed her laptop off the coffee table and sat down on the sofa, her back to him. "Well, while you're out there wasting you time trying to run into one person in a city of millions, I'll actually be trying to accomplish something."

Oliver opened his mouth to reply, but Chloe had already begun typing furiously, obviously ignoring him. Heaving a sigh of frustration, he headed out to the balcony. A nagging voice in the back of his head warned him that walking away was a mistake, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around. He couldn't get the all too recent image of a lifeless Chloe out of his mind. If he could afraid, Oliver was willing to weather his girlfriend's wrath, no matter how frightening or well deserved it might be.

Steeling his nerves, he fired a zipline arrow and took off across the city, hoping that there were some bad guys he could punch.

When he returned three hours later, Oliver wasn't feeling any better. He'd hammered a couple of muggers, a drug dealer, and some one breaking into cars and stealing radios, but it hadn't helped with his frustration. The sound of rushing wind filled his ears only to stop abruptly the moment his feet hit the concrete balcony. He disengaged his bow from the zipline and reeled in the line, stowing the thin cable in his utility belt. Taking a deep breath, he walked back into the penthouse.

Chloe was still sitting on the couch, her legs crossed and her laptop resting on her knees. Her forehead was furrowed in concentration. She hadn't moved an inch since he'd left and she didn't look up now that he'd returned. Knowing that he'd made her angry before, Oliver slipped out of the room to change.

He was heartily regretting the decision to leave now. It definitely ranked high on his list of stupid decisions and considering how many idiotic choices he'd made, that was saying something. Oliver knew that he'd let his fear get the better of him and that he'd reacted badly. Now, he just had to figure out how to make amends.

Dressed in sweats and a black t-shirt, he made his way back to the living room. Chloe still hadn't moved, let alone acknowledged that he'd even returned. He hovered in the doorway, the silence pressing against him, broken only by the click of the computer keys. He could feel the tension radiating off of her. He marveled slightly at the fact that a petite blonde woman with no fighting experience and no weapon or powers could frighten him. He'd faced down more bad guys in the past few months than he cared to admit, but Chloe scared him more than any of them.

The silenced stretched on for a few more moments before Oliver finally worked up the courage to break it.

"On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you?" he asked softly, his body tensing in anticipation of the answer.

She answered instantly without even looking up. "I'm not mad, Oliver."

"Then why haven't you looked at me since I came in?"

"I'm just concentrating."

Oliver pursed his lips. He had to call bullshit on that one. No matter how busy Chloe was, she always took the time to make sure that he was okay when he came back from patrol. Whenever he stopped by to see her at work, she paused, even if it was just long enough to give him a quick kiss and a smile. Determined to make things right, he walked over to stand in front of her.

"That's never stopped you before," he said.

Finally, she looked up, if only for a split second. Her face was carefully blank of emotion. "Really, Oliver. I'm not mad."

His face fell. He could have kicked himself. They'd been officially back together for less than twenty-four hours and he'd already screwed it up. He hadn't wanted to risk losing her and now it looked like he just might.

Not knowing what else to say, he simply stared at her hopelessly. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Chloe paused at the sadness in his voice. She sighed and carefully closed her laptop, setting aside. "I'm not mad, Oliver. I'm annoyed that you didn't even give my plan a chance and that you made the decision not to use it without actually consulting me. You put your foot down and that was the end of the discussion. I get that you have concerns, but you actually have to voice them instead of just making the decision. So yes, I'm upset and annoyed, but I'm not angry."

The slightest bit of relief began pulsing through him. "I know it was stupid," he assured her. "I know that I handled it badly. It's just that losing you like that is my worst nightmare. Ever since I found out about your unnatural tendency to get into trouble, I've been afraid that something would happen to you. I can't just stand by and let you put yourself in harm's way for the sole purpose of getting into trouble."

He moved toward, dropping onto the couch beside her. "I'm sorry that I was an ass about this, but I was afraid of what might happen. I wasn't exactly thinking straight. The thought of you out there like that really freaked me out. I know that we need to do something about this, that there are people depending on us. But I've had nightmares about something happening to you for years. I can't risk one of them coming true when there are others options."

Chloe felt her annoyance drain away to be replaced with self-reproach. She should have known that suggesting she use herself as bait would reawaken his old fears. If she'd taken that into account before making her plan, she'd have anticipated Oliver's reaction and they could avoided the mess they found themselves in.

As the last of the tension left her body, Chloe scooted closer to him, pressing her side to his. "Why didn't you just say something?" she asked quietly. "All you had to do was tell me and we could have worked this out."

Oliver smiled ruefully. "Well, I know that for next time. What's our next move?"

"I've been trying to connect Dr. Fitzgerald to the cases I've been looking into and I've been trying to find out if he's been active in other places," she said, looking tiredly at her computer. "But it's a massive amount of data to get through. He's definitely changed his name more than once. I don't have the computer power or the time to sort through it all on my own. I'm going to contact one the people I met while you were gone. He's better with computers than I am. We'll have more luck if we're working together."

He frowned slightly in confusion. "What about the ones I set up for patrol? Those are some of the best computers on the market."

"Those are better than the average computer, but they're not powerful enough to sort through all the data," Chloe explained. "The kind of search I'd have to set up to go through everything would be massive. This has to be done by someone who can more easily sort out the unnecessary data. Then we can establish some good search parameters once we narrow things down."

"That makes sense. What about contacting Green Lantern? I can keep patrolling in the hopes that we run into each other, but there's no guarantee."

"Normally I'd try to figure out who he is, but since we don't know what his home town is, I don't have any way to narrow the search. I'm right back where I started with Dr. Fitzgerald."

"So we cross our fingers and hope that he finds us," Oliver surmised. He wasn't happy with sitting on his hands, but if it kept Chloe off the streets, he was willing to deal with it.

"Sounds about right," she sighed. "I'll call my friend in the morning and see if he's willing to help us."

An idea crossed Oliver's mind. "Do we have the address for wherever Dr. Fitzgerald was working when all of these people went missing?"

Chloe frowned in confusion. "Yeah. He had an office in Coast City. Why?"

"Is it still there?"

Still confused, she tapped a few keys. "The office is still running," she said in surprise. "According to the website, Dr. Fitzgerald is on sabbatical for the next month. His associate and RN are taking care of the patients in his absence."

"Do you think Bart would be willing to make a run to Coast City to see if he can find something?"

A slow smile spread across Chloe's face. "There probably won't be anything about what he's doing with all these people, but we might be able to figure out how he's finding them. I'll call Bart. If I bribe him with copious amounts of food, he should be willing to do anything."

"Well, it sounds like we finally have a plan," he murmured, bending down to press a kiss to the base of her neck. "What are we going to do with the rest of the evening?"

"It's after midnight," she giggled, leaning her head to the side. "There's no evening left."

"I can think of some ways to spend our time."

Chloe gasped at the tension coiling her stomach. Just his words were enough to turn her on. "What kind of plans?" she managed to choke out.

"Well," Oliver said, slowly kissing his way up her neck. "I was thinking that we could finish what we started this morning before Hal showed up. Are you up to it?"

"Are you?" she challenged.

He let out a short laugh, pulling her into his arms. She locked her arms around his neck and he carried her down to the bedroom.

* * *

><p>The noise of the bullpen grated against her ears. It had been difficult to force herself to leave that morning. She'd have much rather spent the day with Oliver, especially since it was Saturday, but she really did have to get back to work. She'd been assigned weekend duty that week,which normally meant sticking her head in for an hour or two, but the best way to get back on her editor's good side was to be there from nine to five. There'd been a pile of work on her desk when she arrived. She'd spent several hours sorting through everything. Very little of it could be actually turned into a story, but she'd done a little research and sent in an outline to her editor.<p>

Since tracking down sources and doing the in depth research could wait until she was home, she'd turned her attention to tracking down Dr. Fitzgerald.

Chloe glanced around to make sure that no one was watching her, but everyone was occupied with their work. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Bart, figuring that he would be the easiest to convince.

The phone had barely run twice when his cheerful voice echoed through the earpiece. "What's up 'licious? I knew you'd miss me sooner or later."

Chloe rolled her eyes, a smile gracing her lips. "You know me, Bart. I can't resist you. Just don't tell Oliver."

"Don't worry, mamacita," he chuckled. "Wouldn't want to make the green bean angry. So what can I do for ya?"

"Would you mind running a quick errand for me? There is food in it for you if you do."

"Aw, you don't need to do that. I'd do anything for you, 'licious. But I don't say no to food."

"I know you don't," she laughed. "So you're in?"

"Definitely. Just tell me what you need me to do."

She quickly filled him in on the missing persons and murders that she and Green Lantern had been looking into. The longer she spoke, the quieter Bart became until he wasn't making any more comedic quips. Being a meta himself, everything she was telling him was hitting home.

"So I need you to see if you can get into his office and copy his records," Chloe finished. "There probably won't be anything obvious, but we might be able to find out how he's been tracking down his victims. If we can figure that out, then we have a chance at predicting his next move and actually stopping him."

"Shouldn't be a problem, 'licious," he said confidently. "I can get in and out of there no problem. Where do you want me to bring the info once I get it?"

"Back to the penthouse so Oliver and I can go through it. Wait until five o'clock to stop by though, or no one will be there. But," she added, almost as an afterthought, "give me a call if there's a computer and I can walk you through how to hack it so you can get the information from the hard drive."

"Got it. Keep the phone lines open for me."

"I will. Thanks for the help, Bart," she said sincerely.

"I'm glad to do it. Guys like this have got to be stopped." Chloe could almost picture him shrugging as he went on. "Might as well be by us. I'll call you if I have any trouble and if I don't, I will see you later."

"Thanks again, Bart."

After hanging up, Chloe worked for a few minutes. She wanted to be sure that no one knew what she was up to and the best way to do that was to not attract attention. Personal phone calls were gossip magnets. She stalled for about half an hour before dialing the number Victor had given her before leaving with his girlfriend. She only hoped that he would help her.

The phone rang and rang. She was about to hang up, thinking that he hadn't set up the mailbox, when the voicemail finally kicked in.

"Hey, you've reached Victor. I can't come to the phone right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you."

Chloe sighed over the beep. "Victor, it's Chloe. I was wondering if you could help me with something. Your computer skills will be much appreciated. Give me a call when you can. It's kind of urgent."

Rubbing her temple, Chloe hung up and turned back to her work. She wasn't focused. Her thoughts kept turning to Dr. Fitzgerald, to the number of people he'd kidnapped and how many had turned up dead. She wasn't going to get any work done until she and Oliver managed to do something about Fitzgerald. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>It had taken most of the day, but Hal had finally managed to take care of the business he'd mentioned to Oliver the day before. There had been a couple of leads he had wanted to chase down. They'd all come up empty, as he'd suspected they would. He didn't feel as badly as he usually did when the bad guys got away with something. This time, he had someone backing him up, even if they didn't know exactly whom they were helping.<p>

He'd spent the previous evening researching the Green Arrow. It should have been obvious to him that Oliver was the infamous Emerald Archer. Not only had the girlfriend given it away, but once Hal thought about it, he'd recognized the decor of the room he'd woke up in after getting his bell rung trying to stop the meta gang banger. It had definitely been Oliver's penthouse. Hal just wanted to know as much as possible about his best friend's leather wearing alter ego before starting something.

The Green Arrow had only been on the streets for a few months, but he'd done an excellent job of keeping his head down. Most of the articles about him were unsubstantiated rumors. There were few confirmed stories and even fewer facts. Pictures of him were just as scarce. All Hal had been able to discover was that Green Arrow saved the day and disappeared.

He was looking forward to dropping little hints in front of Oliver. It was going to be fun watching him turn fifteen shades of red at every mention of Green Arrow. Just as amusing would be Chloe's reaction. The girl had mentioned that she was used to dealing with heroes. Hal wondered how she would handle it if she thought someone had found out her boyfriend's secret identity. He was actually meeting them at the penthouse to go out for dinner and couldn't wait for the teasing to begin.

As he stepped into the building, Hal felt a gust of wind brush by him and caught the faintest glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye. He blinked and the flash was gone. Hal narrowed his eyes. He'd seen enough weird things to know that he wasn't just imagining things. Something or someone had run past him too fast for him to see and he was willing to bet it was the same person that Chloe had called to get him out of the penthouse the other night. His stomach churned at the thought. That was definitely not his preferred mode of transportation and he flew airplanes that practically broke the sound barrier for a living.

The presence of the other meta surprised Hal. Chloe and Oliver must have found something he'd missed. All of his plans to torture Oliver about his alter ego were pushed to the back of his mind. If it meant stopping Fitzgerald, he was willing to forgo his fun.

Hal slid his hand into his pocket, wrapping his fingers around his ring. He'd see if he could figure out what was going on before blowing his own identity, but if it turned out that they did have a break in the case, he'd surprise Oliver and Chloe with one hell of a coming out.

* * *

><p>"When's Hal supposed to be here?" Chloe asked. She'd printed out several of the files Green Lantern had given her and they were scattered all over the living room. For the past five minutes, she'd been trying to clean everything up, but she hadn't made much headway.<p>

Oliver chuckled at the sight of his girlfriend running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He snagged her by the waist as she went by, tugging her against him.

"Relax," he said. "Hal won't be here for a few more minutes. Just calm down."

She shot him a glare. "Do you want him to know what we're up to?" she demanded. "Or are you all right with Hal knowing about your fetish for archery?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Do you want some help?"

"What do you think?"

He chuckled again and reached for the nearest stack of papers. His fingers were centimeters from them when they fluttered and blew away. He looked up to see Bart, a box in his hands, standing in the middle of the room. The other man looked around, a sheepish expression on his face when he saw the papers that he'd blown all over the floor. Dropping the box, Bart zipped around the room, neatly stacking everything in less than a second.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I got the information Chloe asked me for."

"Did you get everything from the computers?" she asked.

Bart held up a flash drive. "It was a piece of cake once you told me how to get in."

Grinning, Chloe took the jump drive, giving him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before drawing away. "Thanks Bart."

Face almost as red as his shirt, Bart grinned back. "No problem. Anything else you need me to do?"

Chloe glanced back at Oliver, who shrugged. "Not that we know of right now. But if you stay in the area, we could probably use your help once we get closer to nailing this guy," he said.

"Sweet. If you can really use my help, I'm happy to stick around. Don't suppose you know a good hotel?"

"You can just stay in one of the empty apartments downstairs," Oliver offered. "Queen Industries owns the building. We've got a couple set aside for business associates. It'll work for a few days until I can find something more permanent. There's one right below the penthouse. Should be 2203."

Bart's smiled broadened. "Thanks, man. Do you have a key?"

"I'll have to get one from the office. But," a smirk crossed Oliver's face, "I can pick the lock."

"No need," Bart laughed. "I can handle it on my own. I'll go ahead and make myself scarce. Gimme a call if you need a hand with anything."

Before either of them could answer, Bart zipped away.

Chloe grabbed the papers she'd printed out and dropped them on top of the box Bart had dropped off. She hauled it all into her arms, but Oliver snatched the box away from her. She shot him a glare, but he ignored her as he walked down the hall. He stashed the box in his secret room before returning to the living room, just as the elevator buzzed and the doors slid open.

"Remember the code this time?" he teased when Hal stepped into the room.

The other man rolled his eyes. "I didn't forget it. It just didn't work before."

"Sure it didn't. Blame the computer equipment."

"If I recall, it seems to malfunction around you more than me."

Chloe rolled her eyes at the two men. Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket to see Victor. As she walked away, she called over her shoulder, "Down boys. You can put the rulers away. Last time I checked, you won't be needing them at the restaurant."

Ducking into the office, she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Chloe. I got your message. What's going on?"

"We're trying to track down someone who's targeting metas but the sheer amount of computer data to go through is daunting," she explained. "I need another set of eyes to help me sort through everything before I can even begin to write a search program. I was wondering if you would mind helping me narrow down the data."

"I'll definitely help with that," he said quickly. "Send me what you got and a list of what you want me to find and I'll get to work."

"Thanks, Victor. You're a life saver."

He chuckled. "No problem. I'll get back to you tomorrow and give you a progress report. Talk to you soon."

Grinning happily, Chloe hung up and slipped back out into the living room where her boyfriend was still arguing good-naturedly with his best friend.

"Are you guys ready?" she demanded. "I'm hungry."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we're ready." He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the elevator. Hal brought up the rear.

"By the way, I like your shirt," Hal said offhandedly once they were in the elevator. "The color really suits you."

Chloe looked down to the emerald green blouse she was wearing. She and Oliver shared a secret smile. "It's my favorite color," she said, her voice hinting that there was something significant about the color.

"If it's your favorite color, then you must have a real thing for the Green Arrow."

Oliver tensed just slightly while Chloe grinned. "You have no idea. Do you guys want to walk to the restaurant? It's not far."

"Sounds good to me." Hal shot her a warm smile and held open the door for her. He elbowed Oliver as he went past. "How do you feel about the competition you're getting from the local hero? Think you can measure up?"

Oliver had to bite his tongue to keep from saying that he didn't mind Chloe having a thing for his green leather counter part. Instead he just shrugged. "I may not have all the gadgets he does, but I like to think that I make up for that in other ways."

_I'm sure you do_, Hal thought to himself, taking in the tensing in Oliver's jaw. He decided to keep pushing their buttons. "So what do you guys think about all the heroes that have been popping up lately?"

"I think they're doing a lot of good," Chloe said quickly, beginning to get uncomfortable with the topic of heroes. She knew that Oliver would be anxious to change the subject, too. He was still pretty protective of his identity. "But I also think that it's a pretty fine line. I'm mostly reserving judgment until I learn more about them. They're the hot topic at the paper, though."

Luckily, at that point, they walked inside the restaurant and the maitre'd led them to their seats. From there, the conversation drifted to more mundane and safer topics. Hal and Oliver swapped stories, comparing their adventures. They regaled her with their exploits together. Chloe told Hal about some of her adventures in Smallville, leaving out the meta human angle as she always did.

Everything was going great until they were headed back to the penthouse for a cup of coffee. They were halfway back to the building when they heard gunshots and shouts from a small convenience store across the street. All three of them stopped short.

"Looks like someone's trying to rob the store," Oliver muttered.

Chloe rested her hand against his back, stroking his back soothingly. She knew that he was wishing that he had his gear with him so that he could do something. "I'll call the police," she whispered.

"We should do something."

"You can't. Not like this. You'd just get yourself into trouble and make things worse. Let me call the cops and take care of this."

Unbeknownst to them, Hal had pulled his ring out of his pocket and slipped it onto his finger. He knew exactly what was going on in Oliver's head. The only difference was, all he had to do was put on his ring and he was ready for a fight. There was no way Oliver had any of the leather on underneath his t-shirt and jeans. Police response time wouldn't be fast enough under the best of circumstance and by the time they arrived this time, there would be definitely be hostages. Someone had to do something and he was the only one who could.

"Wait a few minutes before calling the cops," he said. "I'll handle this."

"Have you lost your mind?" Oliver demanded, dragging Hal into an alley. The last thing they needed was for the press who would be arriving on the scene any moment to catch sight of them arguing across the street from a robbery in progress. "Those guys have guns! This isn't going to be one of the brawls we got into in high school!"

"I know that," Hal snapped. "But unless you managed to fit a bow in your back pocket, the police aren't going to get here before these dirtbags take hostages." He fisted his hand and with a flash of green light he was back in his Green Lantern uniform. "I can take care of this and no one will get hurt."

Oliver stared at Hal, his mouth hanging open. "What the hell?" he managed to croak after a moment.

Hal rolled his eyes. "Come on. You run around rooftops with a cross bow and you're surprised that I glow a little bit? That's just sad."

The shouts from the convenience store grew louder. "I'll meet you back at the penthouse," Hal said, rising into the air and flying off before either of his friends had a chance to answer.

For a moment, they just stood there, staring after him. Then Chloe tugged a still stunned Oliver out of the alley and back to the penthouse. Neither of them spoke until they were safely standing in the living room. Oliver collapsed on the sofa, trying to process that Hal was apparently a superhero and that he knew that he was the Green Arrow.

Chloe chuckled once and turned to Oliver. "How did we not see that coming?"

He stared at her for a moment, then they both burst out laughing and settled in to wait for Hal to come back.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: So what do you think? I went through a ton of scenarios, trying to figure out how to have Hal tell them that he was Green Lantern. This finally just fit. I hope you liked it. Next up, the plot thickens.<em>


	17. Chapter 16

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat was hijacked. Chloe has done anything but move on and is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long spell between updates. This fic has been giving me trouble. It's one the most complicated pieces I've ever done. I'm not used to handling so many important characters and so many story lines. It's been hard to figure out how to bring everyone and everything together. I'm not sure how fast updates will be at this point. Not only is my muse being stubborn, but this summer has been hard and it's not going to get easier. I'm leaving in about a week and a half to spend a couple of weeks at my Aunt's house before heading back to school. I'll try to be as speedy as possible, but I can't guarantee anything. Sorry :( _

Chapter 16

Victor Stone stared at the screen, not wanting to believe the information in front of him. It couldn't be right. Ignoring the cord that connected him directly to the computer, he pulled the keyboard toward him, clearing out the search to start over, this time manually sorting through the data.

He came to the same conclusion. He had come to the same conclusion_ three_ times.

His hand shot out, seizing the cell phone off the edge of the desk. He dialed Chloe, but she didn't answer. Cursing under his breath, he tried Clark, but he didn't answer either.

"Damn it," he hissed, trying one last number. To his relief, the call went through.

"Hey, tin man. Long time no talk. What's up?" Bart asked cheerily.

Victor fought the urge to groan. He'd sought Bart out on Clark's suggestion shortly after leaving Smallville. Clark had thought it would be a good idea for Victor to meet other people like him. But the hyperactive kid had mostly just driven him crazy, so they hadn't really stayed in touch beyond the occasional drop in.

"I need a ride to Smallville," Victor snapped. "Yesterday."

"Why Smallville?" Bart asked.

Victor rolled his eyes and gripped his phone more tightly in his hand. "Because I need to talk to Chloe."

"She's not in Smallville," Bart said. He sounded like he was really enjoying knowing something that Victor didn't.

"What do you mean?" Victor asked, his patience running severely thin.

Seeming to finally sense that the cyborg was not in a mood to joke, Bart became more serious and stopped fooling around. "She's in Star City. What's going on, Vic?"

"I just need to talk to her about something. Can you give me a lift?"

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Bart said stubbornly. He hated feeling out of the loop.

Victor groaned. "Just get your skinny red butt over here and give me a ride to Star City. I'll explain later."

Stopping the convenience store robbery and catching the bad guys had almost been too easy. They'd never even seen him coming. In moment, he'd had them trussed up and deposited them on the sidewalk outside for the police to collect. It had taken him less than five minutes. A small part of Hal actually wished that it had taken longer. While he hoped that Chloe and Oliver would be all right with the fact that he was privy to their secret lives, he knew how he would feel if his identity was compromised. He knew that he wouldn't be taking it well. So he wasn't exactly eager to face them, no matter how well they were handling things.

In an attempt to stall, he stopped a few more small crimes on his way back to the penthouse. It was almost half an hour later when Hal finally got there, his normally confident demeanor a mere mask over a distinctly nervous core.

He landed lightly on the balcony. No one was around to see him, so he didn't bother to go down to the street and take the normal way up. Sighing, Hal allowed the energy that formed his suit to disperse and in a matter of seconds he was once more wearing only his jeans and t-shirt. Through the glass of the door, he could see Oliver and Chloe sitting in the living room, but he couldn't hear what they saying, if they were saying anything at all. Hal took a deep breath, and pushed the doors aside.

The two blondes looked up instantly at the sound of his footsteps, their laughter dying. Judging by the look on his friend's face, Hal guessed that Oliver had been aware of his presence since he'd landed and been waiting for him to take the initiative.

"That wasn't the welcome I was expecting," Hal grinned, feeling slightly less apprehensive. "I take it I'm not in the doghouse, then?"

"Oh, you definitely are," Oliver said. He stood, crossing his arms over his chest, and glared at his friend. "Why don't you start at the beginning. How the hell did you figure out that I'm Green Arrow?"

"It was really just luck," he said quickly, hoping that would somehow make the situation a little easier. "I had no idea you and Green Arrow were even connected until I came over the day after our alter egos met."

"What gave it away?" Chloe asked, her voice curious. After spending so much time with Clark and keeping his secret, she couldn't quite figure where she and Oliver had gone wrong.

Hal shifted uncomfortably. He seriously doubted that either of them was going to be happy to discover how he figured it out. "It was actually a bit of an accident," he said quickly. The last thing he wanted was for Oliver and Chloe to think that he had set out to discover who Green Arrow was. "I didn't care who was wearing the tights-"

"They're not tights," Oliver interrupted.

Chloe glared at him for a moment before gesturing turning to Hal. "So how did you figure it out if you weren't trying to?"

This was the part that he really didn't want to tell them, because as funny as he thought he was, he doubted that Oliver and Chloe would feel the same way. But he took a deep breath and trudged on. "I recognized you," he admitted, gesturing weakly toward Chloe, who looked absolutely stunned. "You're not exactly a forgettable face. It wasn't hard to realize that you were the same person who'd been helping Green Arrow."

She let out a quiet groan. "All these years of helping the Blur and I never thought that I would be recognized."

"It wasn't as big a problem in Smallville," Oliver said softly. "Everyone knew who you were, anyway. Besides, you were usually playing damsel in distress or helping at the Torch."

Chloe didn't look convinced.

"If it helps, it wasn't just seeing you that gave it away," Hal added. "It was the way you and Oliver were interacting. You told me yourselves-" He stopped short and frowned slightly before continuing. "Well, actually you told Green Lantern that there was something going on between Green Arrow and his sidekick, but that's not the point. It was obvious how much you two were into each other when I saw you the other day as yourselves, which was what made me realize who Oliver was and...and I'm not making any sense, am I?" he asked weakly.

Oliver shook his head, looking mystified, but Chloe let out a quiet laugh. "No. I get it."

"I don't," Oliver grumbled. "How did you figure it out?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "He saw that I was in love with Green Arrow and then when he saw the two of us together, he saw that we were in love and put it together."

His eyes widened. "Oh," he said softly. "We should probably be more careful about that."

"You think?" Hal asked, his eyebrow arched.

The two friends spent the rest of the night swapping stories of their heroics while Chloe listened from the sofa. They were clearly good friends. It was obvious in the way they riled each other up and prodded each other to be better.

After nearly an hour, Chloe's phone rang. She excused herself to the kitchen to answer it. Seeing that the caller ID read "Bart," she frowned in confusion. Normally, he'd just zip in to talk to her. He didn't know that they had company.

Feeling worried, she answered the phone. She didn't even manage to get a word out.

"You need to get down here, like yesterday," Bart said, speaking so fast that she almost couldn't understand him.

"What happened?"

"Victor found something that you're not going to believe," Bart squeaked. "He called me a couple of hours ago and said he needed to talk to you. Ever since he's been here, he's been going through all the intel we have. He even had me sneak into the penthouse to get the flash drive I nicked from that doctor's office. 'Licious, you are not going to believe what he found!"

"_I_ don't believe what I found!" Victor shouted from the background. "I need Chloe to come make sure that I'm not crazy!"

"I'm on my way," Chloe said quickly. "Just give a minute to tell Oliver."

There was a slight scuffle on the other end of the line. "Can I by any chance just come up?" Victor asked. How he had managed to snatch the phone from Bart was anyone's guess. "I want to make sure that I'm not seeing things and I think it might help if you traced my steps on another computer."

She bit her lip. "I'm not alone up here, Victor. But the two guys I'm with are heroes and will understand the need to be discreet if you're willing to tell them about yourself. You don't have to go into details or anything."

"Do you trust them?" Victor asked after a moment.

"With my life," she said without hesitation. "If it makes you feel better, I'm dating one of them."

"All right. We'll be up in a minute."

Feeling distinctly worried, Chloe slid her phone back into her pocket and hurried back out to the living room. Oliver and Hal fell silent the moment they noticed her somber expression.

"I have a friend who's been looking into all the information we have on Fitzgerald," she explained slowly. "He's different, a meta, but it's up to him to tell you how. Anyway, he thinks he found something. He and the kid who gave you a lift out of here the other night are on their way up. He wants me to double check his findings."

"Does he know about us?" Oliver asked.

"He knows you're up here and that you're heroes, but he doesn't know who," she explained. "I just wanted him to know that he could trust you."

"Sounds good to me," Hal shrugged. "Any idea what this friend of yours found?"

She shook her head. "All I know is that he seemed really freaked out and that rarely happens. He's got to be one of the most levelheaded people I've ever met."

At that precise moment, the elevator doors slid open. Victor and Bart came hurtling off it. For once, Bart was trailing behind, looking distinctly freaked out.

"Do you have a computer?" Victor asked.

Chloe rolled her eyes, trying to suppress the anxiety threatening to overwhelm her. "Do you really have to ask?" She pointed to where her laptop sat on the coffee table. "Victor, this is Oliver and Hal. They're part of this, too."

"Nice to meet you," Victor said quickly. "I'm sorry about all of this," he added to the room at large. "I'm not normally like this, but I think you guys may have stumbled onto something big."

Hal and Oliver just nodded their understanding and Victor moved to stand behind Chloe, who was now sitting on the couch with her laptop balanced on her knees. He hesitated for just a moment before connecting himself to the computer.

"Well that's not something you see everyday," Hal muttered.

"It is if you're in our line of work," Oliver snorted.

The two green-loving heroes watched quietly as Chloe and Victor lost themselves in code. They couldn't understand a word the two were saying, but they were obviously getting somewhere. Across the room, Bart was pacing so fast that he was blurring around the edges.

A few pregnant moments passed while Victor and Chloe bent over the computer. Chloe ran through the information, using Victor's capabilities as a human computer to speed up the process. They retraced Victor's steps, double-checking his conclusions. Oliver was just beginning to really get anxious when Chloe's mouth fell open and her fingers stilled.

"That was about my reaction," Victor said softly.

"What did you find?" Oliver demanded.

Chloe shook herself from her stupor. "Victor found a couple of other doctors who seemed to have been doing the same thing as Fitzgerald. He hacked their accounts and found that they were all receiving payments from the same shell company. Tracing it back, he managed to find the parent company and who's behind all of this."

She paused, biting her lip, and glancing back to the computer screen.

"It's Lex," she finally said. "He's the one behind this"

Silence filled the penthouse. Chloe and Victor were attempting to figure out why Lex would want all the metahumans he'd had captured. Bart was sitting in one of the armchairs, his foot tapping erratically. Across the room, Oliver was staring out the window, shoulders tense, hands balled into fists.

"I never met Lex," Hal said abruptly. He couldn't take the silence anymore. "I know enough about him to know that he's a bastard, but I can't believe that he would do something like this. It's too sick."

"Believe it," Victor sighed. "Because of Lex and his experiments, I'm more machine than man, Bart nearly died, and a friend of ours was almost filleted. That's not to mention all the times his plans have nearly gotten Chloe killed."

"What would he want with a bunch of metas?" Hal asked, still mystified.

This time, it was Chloe who answered. "Lex has been obsessed with power for as long as I've known him. When he thought he knew about the Blur, he tried to get solid information on him so that he could force the Blur to do what he wanted. Luckily for us, he never actually got that kind of leverage."

"But what does that have to do with metas, though?"

Bart grimaced. "He's trying to find a way to harness their power. At least, that's what we think he's up to."

"Then how do we stop him?"

"That's just it," Chloe groaned. "As many times as we've managed to foil his plans, we've never had this kind of hard evidence on him. Usually it's just my snooping or someone noticing something strange going on in Smallville. This is the first time we've got this kind of information on Lex. The most we can prove is that LuthorCorp is responsible for his, but we can't prove that Lex was actually behind any of this. He could do the same thing that he did with Victor. He'll claim that someone went rogue and that he had no idea it was going on."

"That can't possibly work," Hal scoffed.

"LuthorCorp is a huge company," she said. "Even the most involved CEO depends on reports to know what's going on. All Lex has to do is say that he received falsified reports and that he hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary when he visited the facilities. He might get fined, but he won't actually be punished for the kidnapping or the experimentation."

Hal glowered at the wall. "There's got to be some way to stop him," he grumbled. "What do you guys usually do?"

"We get as much information as we can and try to take down the facility," Chloe shrugged. "But we've only ever taken on the smaller facilities in Smallville. Usually it's just to save whomever we know Lex has taken. We've never attempted to actually stop one of his operations."

"Maybe it's time we did," Oliver said, finally breaking his silence.

Victor arched an eyebrow. "How do you propose to do that? We've all tried to stop him at some point and we've all nearly died or been captured in the process.

"If he can catch me, then he can definitely catch you," Bart said emphatically.

"Exactly," Victor agreed. "You don't stand a chance."

Oliver turned away from the window. There was a determined glint in his eye that Chloe had come to associate with his Green Arrow persona. "You're right," he agreed, surprising them all. "I don't stand a chance. But maybe _we_ do. Did it ever occur to you that going up against Lex alone is never going to work? What if we worked together? He wouldn't be prepared for all of us and we'd be able to watch each other's backs. There's a reason Chloe keeps an eye on me when I'm out on patrol. What if the only thing we need to take Lex down a peg or two is a little bit of teamwork?"

"What exactly are you planning?" Chloe asked.

He began pacing, forehead furrowed as he thought through the details. "We nail down the details first. We figure out who is working for Lex and we find out where the captured metas are being sent. Then we take down the facility. Once they're free, we can take care of the bastards that put them in there. Between all of us, we should have the necessary abilities to get in and get out, especially if we can convince the Blur to help us and if Chloe will be our eye in the sky."

"It sounds like a good plan," Victor acknowledged. "You're probably right about the whole teamwork thing. There's just one problem. I don't know you. I don't know what you can do or even if I can really trust you. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt right now because Chloe trusts you, but if I'm gonna put my life in your hands, then I need a little more than just her word. No offense, Chloe."

"None taken," she said gently.

"Then let's fix that," Hal grinned, offering his hand to Victor. "Green Lantern, but you can call me Hal. I'm the one that brought the information about Fitzgerald to Chloe and Oliver. They were already looking into the disappearances in the city, but had no idea who was behind them until I came along."

Bemused, Victor took Hal's hand and shook it. He glanced over at Oliver. "Where do you fit into all of this?"

"I knew Chloe in Smallville," Oliver said softly. His mind immediately flashed back to Lex's involvement with the meta that had nearly killed him and he wondered why he hadn't realized what his old school mate was capable of sooner. Pushing the thoughts away, Oliver turned his attention back to Victor.

"I used to help her and the Blur with the meteor freaks-"

"Infected," Chloe interrupted.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I helped them with the metas that attacked the town until I was was forced away for a few years. Now I help people as Green Arrow."

Victor's eyes widened, and he turned to stare at Chloe. "He's the guy you told me about when you were trying to convince me to go see Katharine, isn't he?"

Chloe simply nodded.

Seeing the confused expressions of everyone in the room, Victor hurried to explain. "After I got out of Lex's lab, I was trying to decide whether or not to go see my girlfriend. Chloe told me about a guy that she'd known who'd gone missing and was supposed to be dead. She told me that she'd give anything to prove the world wrong and that she was sure that Katharine would want the same thing. I'm glad it worked it out better for you two than it did for me."

Blinking back the tears that seemed to naturally accompany any memory of the years without Oliver, Chloe gave Victor a quick, but fierce hug.

"So do you trust us?" Hal asked. There was a twinkle in his eye and no malice in his voice. Everyone in the room knew the value of caution.

Victor nodded.

"Good. On to the next problem. My leave is up in just a few days. Between my earth job and my intergalactic job I doubt that I'll have time to be much help or to go gallivanting across the country to wherever this lab is. I'm still pretty new at this and the Corps is pushing me pretty hard to see what I can do," he admitted.

Oliver frowned. He hadn't thought of that and he'd been hoping that Hal would be able to help them. His powers would have been incredibly useful.

"Would you still have time to patrol on earth?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah. I always make time for that."

"Then could you cover Star City, pretending to be Green Arrow so that no one connects him to Oliver?"

Hal grinned. "Definitely. How soon do you think you'll need me? If I tell the Corps what I'm doing, I might be able to swing a little more free time."

"Sooner rather than later," she said after a moment. "If we're actually going to go through with this, then we need to be closer to Lex. We need to be able to keep an eye on him incase something we do tips him off and we need better access to his computers. I'm also willing to bet that this facility of his is likely to be somewhere near Metropolis."

Oliver nodded in agreement. "It'll be easy enough for me to give a business related reason for being there. The Metropolis branch could use a little work. It only makes sense that I would visit every major component of the company after my time away. I can set up accommodations for anyone who comes with."

"Lois will be more than happy to help," Chloe added. "She's been on a personal vendetta against Lex ever since she found out about what he's done to some of our friends."

Bart sped over to stand beside Chloe. He threw his arm around her shoulders. "You know I'm in, mamacita. I'll do anything I can to stop his baldness."

Hal chuckled. "I'll cover for Oliver. Green Arrow will continue to protect the streets of Star City even if he's really out kicking bad guy butt in Metropolis. I'm gonna need a spare set of your gear so I can make it convincing though."

"I'll give you the code so you can get anything you need," Oliver promised.

"I'm in too," Victor said. "I always was more of team player than a solo act."

There was a moment of silence as the newly founded team looked at each other. Chloe couldn't help but feel that they were still missing someone, but it was a start and she was excited about that.

Behind her, Oliver allowed himself a grim smile.


	18. Chapter 17

**Title**: Gift of Fate

**Rating**: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 for sexual content. These chapters will be preceded by a warning.

**Summary**: Oliver has been missing since his boat was lost in a storm, two years before and Chloe is still grieving. What will it take for her to move on? What happened to Oliver? Will he ever be back? And what about the mysterious disappearances in Star City?

**Warning**: Again, this is AU and is the continuation of my fic _Twist of Fate_, which you really need to read first or this won't make any sense. There will be sexual content and violence.

**Spoilers**: This entire series, basically. The setting is season six, but anything is fair game if it works for my fic.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own. I'm just playing. Please don't sue.

_**Author's Note: This chapter contains smut and is rated NC-17. If you don't want to read it, then skip down to the first story break. You shouldn't miss anything.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 17<p>

It had been a long flight and an even longer week. Picking up and moving halfway across the country hadn't been as easy as Oliver had thought it would be. Convincing the board that it would a good idea for him to temporarily take over daily operations at the Metropolis branch had been surprising easy. They'd agreed with him that the office could use more direct oversight. The fact that he was showing so much interest in the entire company had been icing on the cake for them. There had just been so much to do.

Chloe had quit her job at the Register. She hadn't bothered to send in her resume anywhere else because they had no idea what this mission would entail. At first, it had rubbed her the wrong way. Then Oliver had pointed out that she and Victor would be the ones doing the majority of the research and that it was probably better that to have more time to focus on that. She'd agreed reluctantly.

Several days had been spent walking Hal through using the Green Arrow gear so that he could convincingly impersonate Oliver, which had led to some interesting discussion. Chloe was pretty sure they argued more than an old married couple.

Once that had been taken care of, only the living arrangements had remained. Oliver and Chloe would be staying together. That was a given, but he'd still had to find places for Bart and Victor to stay. Someplace close to keep from attracting unwanted attention. Oliver lived in the spotlight and someone would notice if the other two heroes were constantly showing up at his apartment. The easiest solution was to get them an apartment in the same building. So that was what he had done. If anyone did link Bart and Victor to him, Oliver would just tell them they were old friends of Chloe's.

All of the activity and stress had worn them out, but it seemed to weigh most heavily on Chloe. She'd been with Oliver every step of the way while still taking care of her own work and doing as much research as she could. It was obvious that she was blaming herself for not realizing what Lex was up to sooner.

In her exhaustion, Chloe had fallen asleep shortly after the plane took off. She had planned to call Lois to let her know that they were coming to Metropolis, but Oliver hadn't been able to bring himself to wake her. Chloe could just as easily call her cousin once they were at the penthouse.

But she hadn't woken up by the time they landed. He carried her off the plane and into the car he'd had waiting. Chloe didn't even stirred until he carried her into the new penthouse.

The building had once been some sort of Clocktower. The penthouse had actually been built in the old clock, which had been rebuilt with a modern feel. Had he just been looking for an apartment, Oliver would have been drawn to it for the incredible view and the interesting location, but what had really sealed the deal was how easy it would be for his alter ego to come and go.

The ding of the elevator broke the silence. Chloe groaned under her breath and pressed her face into his shoulder. He kissed her hair, holding her more securely. He carried her into the penthouse. He didn't even bother to turn on the lights. He just walked into the bedroom.

Chloe opened her eyes blearily when he laid her down.

"Where are we?" she mumbled.

He ran a hand through her hair. "We're in Metropolis."

She blinked slowly. "We are?"

"Yeah. You fell asleep on the plane."

"Oh."

"You were tired," Oliver chuckled. She was cute when she was disoriented and half asleep.

"I know I was. But I didn't realize I was that tired."

Oliver kissed her forehead. Smirking, he walked across the room to the bags, which he'd had Bart bring up. He tossed her a pair of her pajamas. While she changed, he stripped and pulled on a pair of sweats before sliding in beside her.

"You were pushing yourself pretty hard," he admonished tiredly, looping an arm around her waist. "You know that's not going to help us any when you're so exhausted that you sleep for an entire day."

"I was not asleep for an entire day," Chloe protested. "And I have pushed myself far harder than that before. I'm perfectly fine."

"Sure you are."

With his eyes closed, Oliver never noticed the coy smile that tugged at his girlfriend's lips. She rolled toward him and pushed him onto his back. The next thing he knew, she was straddling his waist and looking down at him.

"Why don't I show you just how all right I am?"

All Oliver could do was stare at her. Chloe's smile widened. "Of course, if you're too tired we could alwa-"

His hand at the back of her neck, pulling her forward, stopped her short. She stopped speaking in favor of kissing him. Oliver started to flip them over so that he could lie on top, but she planted her knees on the mattress and shook her head just slightly into the kiss. He raised his eyebrows, but allowed Chloe to take the lead.

Though still nervous and a little hesitant, Chloe felt an intense desire to give Oliver the pleasure he always seemed to lavish on her when they slept together. She ran her hands up his sides, lightly dragging her fingers along his skin. She felt him tense beneath her. Smiling she bent down and began kissing her way down his chest. His breathing increased raggedly.

Chloe stopped at the waistband of his sweatpants. She paused just a moment and looked up at him through her lashes. Oliver was staring at her in a mixture of surprise and lust. She felt a thrill of feminine pleasure run through her, boosting her confidence.

Scooting down the bed slightly, she sat back on her knees and pulled the sweats down Oliver's legs. She crawled back up the bed to straddle his hips once more. Never breaking eye contact, Chloe reached down and took him in her hand. His eyes almost bugged out of their sockets and his breathing quickened. She stroked him slowly. He threw his head back, somehow still managing to keep his eyes on her. Taking encouragement from his reaction, Chloe stroked him more firmly and dropped a kiss to his chest. He slid one hand into her hair. His fingers tangled in the silky strands.

Oliver gently pulled Chloe up to kiss her passionately. She could feel his heart racing through his chest. Her hand on him never stopped.

Without warning, he wrenched his mouth free and grabbed her wrist, stilling her movements.

"Is something wrong?" Chloe panted.

He shook his head and a smile tugged at his lips. "No. It's great. But if you keep doing that this is going to be over way too soon."

Chloe blushed. She'd never expected that she could get that kind of reaction out of Oliver. Enjoying her reaction, he pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "I need you, Chloe. I need to feel you."

The blush on her cheeks deepened and a rush of pure lust shot through her. He easily pulled off the oversized t-shirt she was wearing and she shimmied out of her panties. With his hand still clasped around her wrist, she guided him to her entrance and slid onto him. Her eyes squeezed shut at the almost painful stretching. He usually prepped her more before entering her. She stilled for a moment while she adjusted to his presence. Oliver sat up and kissed her hard. The shift in position caused her to gasp as he hit a new spot within her, erasing the pain. His tongue slid past her lips. He plundered her mouth. Chloe ground her hips against his. It was Oliver's turn to gasp. She pushed him back down so that he was lying flat on his back. He had to admit that the sight of her, leaning over him, was incredibly arousing.

A hand like iron gripped her hip, dragging her closer. She lifted herself up, almost off of him and he slammed her back down. Oliver let out a moan. His free hand slid up her body, ghosting over her breast, before sliding into her hair. He jerked her down to kiss her. She moved on him faster. Sweat stood out on both their bodies. Every inch of Olive's body was tense. His hips were rising and falling in time with her movements. In a matter of moments, they were both crying out in ecstasy.

Panting heavily, Chloe fell against Oliver's chest. He rolled them over so that they were both lying on their sides, still intimately joined.

"I thought you were tired," he chuckled.

She kissed his nose. "Am now."

Oliver shook his head and yawned as exhaustion began beating over him in waves. Chloe snuggled closer to him. Her head rested on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist more firmly and the two of them fell asleep.

* * *

><p>A loud bang echoed across the peaceful fields and the silence was broken by an eardrum-shattering yell.<p>

"CLARK!"

Lois stomped across the yard to the barn. She'd expressly told her alien boyfriend that she needed to talk to him as soon as she got home from work. She'd even been on time for once! It didn't take a genius to guess where he'd gone. He was probably off saving a cat from a tree or something equally noble. That was going to stop Lois from checking to see if he was brooding over something in the loft again.

She was clutching several large files in her hands. Ever since she'd stumbled upon Lex's mysterious activity at the airport, she'd been doing everything in her power to figure out what he was up to. It looked like she may have finally figured out part of the puzzle. She was hoping that Clark, who knew the masochistic baldy better than she did, would be able to fill in some of the blanks.

Thundering up the steps to announce both her presence and annoyance, Lois shouted, "Clark, if you're up here, you're going to find yourself cuddling with a certain meteor rock tonight instead of me!"

To her surprise, she got an answer. From someone other than Clark.

"Isn't that a little harsh, Lo?"

Squeaking in surprise, Lois spun on her heel to see Chloe sitting on the worn sofa. Her legs were pulled up under her and she was grinning from ear to ear. She had opted for surprising her cousin rather than calling her. Lois squealed again and ran to hug her.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "And what the hell took you so long?"

"It was a lot of things," Chloe said evasively. "I'm here now and that's all that matters, right?"

Lois' eyes narrowed. She had a pretty good guess what had kept her beloved cousin halfway across the country and it was about six feet tall and blonde. She could only guess that Chloe had been scared to let Oliver out of her sight. Then in between repairing their relationship and him taking up the hero gig, it wasn't surprising that Chloe hadn't been able to tear herself away. She was well aware of the fact that there was no way this could be a social visit. Something important had to have torn Chloe away from her leather-wearing boy toy.

"Why are you here?" Lois asked again.

Chloe looked sheepish. "Oliver and I are looking into something that Lex is up to involving metas," she admitted.

If she'd expected Lois to be angry that her reason for coming back to Kansas wasn't to see her favorite - and only - cousin, Chloe got a pleasant surprise when Lois' eyes widened.

"You, too?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Chloe frowned in confusion.

"I've been looking into Lex," Lois explained briskly. "He's been up to some shady business at the airport outside of Smallville. I've been trying to figure out what he's doing and I think I may have found something. It looks like-"

"We should wait until Clark and Oliver get here," Chloe interrupted. "They'll need to know what's going on."

Lois nodded in agreement. "Do you know where they are?"

"Oliver should be on his way. He got held up with something at the office. As for Clark," she trailed off and shrugged. "No clue."

As if on cue, Clark chose that moment to speed into the loft. The girls just caught sight of his pensive expression before he broke into a wide grin and pulled Chloe into a bone-crushing hug.

"What are you doing here?" he asked happily.

"Trying to stick it to Lex," Chloe grinned. "Oliver and I stumbled onto something and we were hoping that you could help us."

Clark immediately became serious. He'd lost any patience for Lex long ago and was probably the only person on the planet that Clark actually hated. After everything that Lex had done to him, to Chloe, and to the other people in Smallville, Clark was more than willing to do something about it.

"Let's go inside," he suggested. "I've got some of Mom's chocolate chip cookies."

"I'll call Oliver and see where he is. Maybe he can get Bart to give him a lift," Chloe mused.

Both Lois's and Clark's eyebrows raised. "Oliver knows Bart?"

"It's a long story," she chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll tell you everything."

"You better," Lois threatened. "Come on, hero boy. Let's leave Chlo to talk to her lovah."

"Do you have to say it like that?" Clark whined.

Chloe chuckled as they walked away. Some things never changed. She was rather glad that Lois and Clark were included in that list.

* * *

><p>Not five minutes later, all three of them were sitting around the table, chatting idly while they waited for Oliver to arrive via the Bart express. Lois was filling Chloe in on one of her wilder adventures in the pursuit of journalism. Chloe was trying not to be worried by the astounding number of times Lois seemed to have nearly gotten herself killed in just this one instance.<p>

They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Seconds later, Oliver strode into the kitchen. Before he could say anything, Lois was out of her seat and smacking him upside the head.

"Hey!" he said indignantly. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was being stupid enough to get yourself thrown overboard and for worrying my cousin for two years!" Lois snapped.

"You do realize that it wasn't my fault and that I've been back for six months, right?" he grumbled.

She just shrugged. "This is the first time I've seen you and I've been waiting to do that for years. I wasn't about to let the opportunity pass."

Oliver glared at her. "Nice to see you too, Lois."

Rolling her eyes, she surprised everyone but Chloe by pulling him into a hug. "Seriously, green bean, don't ever do that again or I will personally hunt you down and bury you myself!"

"Don't worry. I have no plans to go missing again," Oliver said, sounding bemused.

"Good." Lois detached herself and sat back down. "Now you two can tell us what the hell is going on and then we will return the favor."

Sighing, Oliver dropped into the chair next to Chloe and the two of them began to tell their tale. They didn't leave anything out.

By the time Oliver and Chloe had finished filling Lois and Clark in on everything that had happened, the other two were staring at them with their mouths open.

Clark was the first to find his voice.

"So you can heal people?" he asked Chloe.

She just nodded. Oliver put an arm around her waist and tugged her slightly closer.

"It's an amazing power," she admitted. "But a little scary."

"I bet," Clark murmured.

Lois quickly changed the subject. "In summary, you two have teamed up with Victor, Bart, and some guy named Green Lantern to stop Lex from abducting metas and experimenting on them, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "It sounds to me like you're trying to take down all of 33.1!"

"That's the general idea," Oliver said. "Someone has to do it. I really think that if we all work together, we can manage it."

"Oh I don't doubt it," Lois chuckled. "I just wish someone had thought of it sooner. All we've been doing is putting a bandage on a gaping wound. It's been driving me crazy that we haven't been able to really get to baldy."

"Well here's your chance," Chloe said. "Oliver and I are in Metropolis until we can take care of this. We still need a lot more information. We have no idea where the metas are being held or what exactly Lex is doing to them. We're a long way from charging in and saving the day."

A smug smile appeared on Lois' face. "That's where I come in. I tried to tell you this the other day, but apparently you two were having too much fun playing doctor to listen. Lex has been up to something at the airstrip outside Smallville. He's been flying in every week or so. It's always at night and a flight plan is never filed. I recently managed to discover that Lex is funding all of this through Cadmus labs which was supposed to have been shut down years ago."

"He must be bringing the metas here," Chloe murmured. "Lo, can I see all the information you have? I'm assuming you actually managed to find evidence of these secret flights. If I can find evidence that the planes are coming from the cities were there have been missing metas, then we'll know for sure that the 33.1 lab is somewhere in Kansas."

"Of course I've got evidence," Lois snapped. "What do you take me for? I snuck in a copied the security footage after I got into Lex's bank records and found out that he was pouring way more money into the airstrip than was needed for the three flights a mont that are actually on record! And I want to be in the loop on this! You two aren't about to run off without me!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Oliver said dryly. "Besides, we came here to ask for help. Are you in, Clark?"

He nodded slowly. "Lex has to be stopped. I hate that this has been going on and that I didn't even know about it. I'll do everything I can. There's just something I have to take care of first."

When all three of them looked at him expectantly, he sighed and explained. "AC apparently got himself in a bit of trouble in Japan at some sort of protest. He's in jail, no one will bail him out, and he's worried that someone will find out about his...abilities. I've got to figure out a way of getting him out without making him a wanted criminal."

"I can probably help with that," Oliver offered. "The best way to get anyone out of situation like that is probably going to be bribery."

"You don't have to do that," Clark protested. "You don't even know him."

Oliver shrugged. "If we leave him there, Lex may get to him. Seeing as that is something I'm trying to stop, I'm more than happy to help."

"I'll do a little hacking magic and see if I can figure out exactly what they're holding him for and who you need to talk to," Chloe sighed. "Maybe he'll be willing to help us with Lex."

"Of course he would," Lois scoffed. "Lex nearly killed him, remember?"

"He's gotten on the wrong side of Lex, too?" Oliver asked in surprise.

Everyone nodded. He sighed and draped his arm around Chloe's shoulders. "Do you have any normal friends?"

"If it helps, I used to think that you were normal."

"Then you were seriously deluded," Lois snorted. "Green bean has never been normal."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically.

Laughter filled the room. Chloe leaned into Oliver's side. She couldn't help but remember the times when the four of them had spent afternoons together, just messing around, back in high school. A contented sigh escaped her lips. Oliver tugged her closer and kissed her forehead lightly. Though she knew that the peace she felt wouldn't last much longer once they began to actively face Lex, she couldn't help but relish it while she could.

* * *

><p>AC had a splitting headache. They hadn't been giving him enough water and he was getting dehydrated. He was only getting enough water for the average human, not for the average Atlantean.<p>

He paced his cell restlessly. There was no way he could escape on his own. He wasn't strong enough and there was little chance that he ever would be. If someone didn't come bail him out, he was screwed. Unfortunately, that didn't seem likely to happen either. He'd been caught doing quite a lot of damage to some of the boats and it was unlikely that the protest group or anyone else would come forward for him.

Which was why he had called Clark. AC had hoped he would be able to help. It would be easy for Clark to get inside and bust him out, but Clark was a stick in the mud. He'd taken one look at the circumstances and said no. He'd pointed out that if he freed him, AC would have to spend the rest of his life on the run. He had, however, promised that he would try to do something. Now AC just had to hope that he actually would.

The sound of footsteps broke through the pounding in AC's head. He looked up warily. To his surprise, a guard stopped outside his cell. The man unlocked the door and opened it sharply. He signaled AC to follow him. More confused than before, AC followed.

He was led outside, not to the courtyard where he was sometimes allowed to get some fresh air, but to the front gate. An expensive looking black car, a limo really, was parked in the street.

The guard shoved AC toward it. He didn't like where he thought this was going, but it was probably his best chance of getting free, so he decided to take the risk. It wasn't as like he had any other options.

Opening the door, AC slid into the back seat. He was unsurprised to find that he wasn't alone. A blonde man in a dark, well-fitted suit was leaning back leisurely across from him.

The truth was, he was almost frighteningly reminded of Lex. This man exuded the same sort of power and confidence. He obviously had money if he'd been able to arrange AC's release. To say it made AC nervous was an understatement.

"Dude, please tell me this isn't what it looks like," he teased in an attempt at humor.

The other man smiled. "Don't worry. It's not."

"How can you be sure? You don't know what I'm thinking."

"You'd be surprised," the man said dryly. "You're probably thinking that I'm either one of Lex's lackeys or one of his rivals. I'll admit that that is what it looks like, but I don't work for Lex. In fact, I'd much rather sabotage him."

"Who are you?" AC asked in confusion.

The man held out his hand. "Oliver Queen. I'm friends with Clark and Chloe."

"Arthur Curry," he said, taking the proffered hand. "But you can call me AC. How long have you been friends with them? I don't remember meeting you when I was in Smallville."

"I met them before you did," Oliver sighed. "But that's a bit complicated, and we don't have time to get into it right now."

AC nodded and fell silent for a moment. "Look, no offense, dude, but I don't know you and you had to fork over a lot of money to get me out of there. You're going to have to give me a little more to go off of. What exactly do you want with me?"

Oliver groaned. "See, this is why I told Clark that he needed to be here when I did this, but he had to go and stop a wildfire somewhere in the Amazon. Look, I'm not a meta, but I know a fair few, including Clark. You're a friend of Chloe's who needed help, which would have been enough. But as it so happens, we've recently discovered that Lex is rounding up metas to experiment on them. I'd really rather that didn't happen to you. We're going to have enough people to rescue when we take down the facility without adding you to the list."

"You know I'm a meta?" AC spluttered. He moved back as far as the car would allow him.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out," Oliver chuckled. "Everyone Chloe knows is a meta or some kind of hero. I have no idea what you can do and I'm not going to tell anyone."

"How can I believe that?" AC challenged.

Oliver shrugged. "I'm the Green Arrow. There. Now you've got something on me. I'm headed back to Smallville in less than an hour, if you'd like to come. Or I can arrange for you to go anywhere you want. I'm sure Chloe would like to see you and we could actually use your help stopping Lex, if you'd like to join us. It's up to you."

For a long moment, AC just stared at Oliver, trying to figure out if he could trust the stranger or not. In the end, he relaxed.

"Don't suppose you have any water?"

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Just in case things were a little confusing if you skipped the smut, Oliver and Chloe are in Metropolis, as are Victor and Bart. Chloe was supposed to call Lois, but didn't, hence the surprise when they later meet up at the Kent's. <em>

_This is the first time I've written more than a couple of sentences for AC, so I hope I did all right. He's one of the characters I have a little bit of trouble with. _

_I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible, but there's another fic that I have to get finished by a certain deadline and, as so much of my writing tends to do, it's gotten away from me and is about three times longer than I thought it was going to be. And I still have to write most of it. That's going to have to become my priority, because I really don't want to drop out of this and I have to meet the deadline. I'll try to work on it and my other two in progress Chlollie fics equally, but I tend to get focused on a certain fic as I'm writing it and have trouble working on any others. Posting may be slow, but I will post. I promise!_


	19. The Dreaded Author's NoteSorry

*Waves sheepishly*

Um...hi.

I probably should have done this ages ago, but quite honestly, I was avoiding it because it feels like some sort of death knell.

All of my Smallvilles fics are on indefinite hiatus. My muse has officially gone on vacation. I think I backed myself into a corner with _Gift of Fate_ and _Fading Scars_ was pretty much over anyway. My plan is to go back and rewrite _Twist of Fate_ and _Gift of Fate. _They were some of my earlier fics and I know that there are some plot problems. I will probably be reposting them completely since the plot may change pretty drastically. I may or may not delete the old versions. The smut from GoF will probably vanish. I tried my hand at it, but it's not really my style, even if I was decent at writing it. I guess it's the conservative Catholic in me.

Hopefully editing my old stories will reawaken my muse. I'm trying to get back into the fandom, but we'll see.

Troubles not withstanding, I am in no way giving up. I'm just trying to figure out how to cross the Grand Canyon.

luminare91


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